Echoes of You
by 2damnpretty2die
Summary: AU: No matter what happens... some memories can never be replaced.
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hello lovely people I'm setting this free. Hopefully for your reading pleasure. Thank you to Donteatblue for everything she does and looking through my terrible grammar. The lovely Shinata-Riyoko for being a second set of eyes, shes awesome. I own nothing, just playing. Hope you enjoy.

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 **Echoes of You**

 **Summary: No matter what happens… some memories can never be replaced.**

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 **Chapter One**

Slowly opening the door, she was met with the heartwarming cackle of children laughing. She smiled brightly at the sight, their excitement was contagious.

Under the flickering glow from the fake candles that had been methodically placed around the porch, she took in the children's costumes as she pretended to be frightened.

"Trick or Treat!" The younger ones screamed in sheer exuberance as their obvious teenage companions stood toward the back with boredom painted clearly on both of their made up faces.

"Oh, no tricks tonight please! I think I would prefer to give you all a treat. What do you think?" The mischievous look on her face was concealed beneath a grin as she held the large bowl of sweets out to the group, watching their faces light up and nod furiously with the offered prize. "Now, what do we have here? We have a ghost and a zombie and a fairy princess… oh sooo scary, you all look terrifying. I think these have been the best costumes I've seen all night." She let each child take a few sweets from the bowl, it was late and normally she'd give extra out to get rid of the remaining candy, but as they were already a whirlwind of excitement laced with sugar, she limited them to just a few. "You have to promise to brush your teeth tonight though." Poor parents, she thought as again their little heads nodded rapidly. "Here, you both deserve a treat for putting up with this squabble." Eyeing the older pair with a devious smirk on her face she extended her arms out over the younger heads as best she could to allow them to retrieve some treats for themselves.

"Thanks Ma'am." For a moment she hesitated. They were so polite and she normally saved this for the cheeky kids. Unfortunate for them it was her last chance to do it this year and they looked as though they would be good sports at least.

For the first time since they appeared at her door the pair cracked a smile through their face paint as they dipped their hands into the bowl.

The scream of horror that came from them when a bloody hand came out from the bowl to grab at them left her bent over laughing as their fight or flight response kicked in. Her laughter intensified as they shot off with the little ones giggling furiously, running after them to try catch up with the fleeing pair.

"Calliope Torres! Would you stop that, we are so getting our house egged tonight." Callie looked over at the other woman standing in the doorway, her arms crossed across her chest and her foot tapping against the wooden floor as she tried to keep the smile lurking just under the surface at bay.

"Oh come on, you've got to admit that was funny." Callie pulled her hand from the underside of the bowl and the remaining sweets fell from the hole her hand had plugged. "It's a classic and they looked like good sports. I'm sure they saw the funny side of it." She knelt down to gather up the escaped treats.

"And we all know looks can be deceiving. You can't even see your mother's horns!" The woman smirked as Callie arched an eyebrow and nodded her head in agreement.

"True, but I'm sure they were good kids." Callie grabbed the towel she'd left on the console table and wiped away the fake blood from her hand, turning the towel over she placed it inside the bowl, covering the hole and placed the remaining sweets back into it.

"Well if not, you're cleaning the toilet paper and smashed egg from the yard tomorrow. Now come on, let's get this movie on before it gets too late."

"I'll be with you in a minute." Callie looked up from placing the last rogue sweets into the bowl and watched as blonde hair disappeared around the corner. Standing to her full height she placed the bowl on the console table and made her way out onto the porch and began to turn off the candles.

As the last one went dark she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Stilling, she looked out into the dark. The group of kids were further up the street now, she could hear the younger voices taunting the older two who were now laughing along and she chuckled once again while she looked down at her watch. Ten past eight and it was already really dark. The street seemed quiet. Turning around to face the door she hung up her "Sorry out of Candy" sign to ward of any interruptions.

The sound of a twig snapping underfoot made her turn swiftly and peer into the dark wooded area next to the house. Seeing something shift in the blackness, her vision strained as she tried to cut through the dark before a set of yellow eyes glinted out of the gloominess and began moving toward her at pace.

Startled did not convey the correct emotional state. _Shat_ herself would be closer to what she felt. Her hand covered her chest as the shock had her heart pounding in her chest as the neighbor's cat ran across the path hissing.

"Damn it, Pebbles! Instant Karma." Her voice merged with her own now nervous laughter as it dissolved. Shaking her head at the state of herself she made her way into the house closing the door behind her and locking up. For good measure shifted the curtain with the back of her hand as she scanned the street once again.

With all the lights turned off on the ground floor of the house, she carefully made her way into the living area. The only illumination came from the glow of the television screen and she smiled at the sight of the woman lying comfortably across the sofa, popping popcorn into her mouth. "I've locked up. To the outside world nobody is home." She sang cheerfully before raising an eyebrow at the open bottle of wine sitting next to two empty glasses on the coffee table. She gave the woman a knowing grin.

"Well, we both have a day off tomorrow. So I thought, we don't get to just relax much with our schedules." The woman re-adjusted herself on the sofa while she watched Callie smile and pick the bottle up. She carefully poured out two generous sized servings and placed the bottle back down.

"I like your way of thinking." Callie picked up both glasses, handing one over as she took her seat and both women cuddled in. "So, what are we watching?"

"In honor of this All Hallow's Eve, I have chosen a classic." Callie could feel the breath against her neck as the words whispered against her ear. "The Exorcist."

"Are you sure?" Callie choked slightly as she inhaled while taking a drink from her glass.

"Of course I am, Calliope, I'm not scared... Are you?" she teased.

"Most certainly not. It's just … you were scared when we watched Signs and the scariest things in that film were Mel Gibson's acting and the creepy little girl. This film is a classic for a reason. It doesn't need CGI effects to scare the pants off y…you know what, just put the film on." Callie smirked knowing fine well they would never get to the end of the movie and pants coming off didn't sound like a bad idea.

It was twenty three minutes into the movie when Callie felt the seat dip next to her as the weight displaced. She watched the empty wine glass as it was placed carefully on the coffee table. Callie smiled as she felt a knee brush over her thigh until she was met with playful blue eyes as the woman settled into position on her lap before she relieved Callie of her own glass and put it on a table beside the sofa.

"You might be a pain, but you're not made of glass." Callie teased as she tried to contain the smile that formed on her lips. She was met with a pout before blonde hair dipped past her and soft open mouth kisses gently caressed the now sensitive skin below. Callie felt the tip of the woman's tongue over the skin behind her ear and she released a sigh as she melted into the woman's touch. "Is this your way of telling me you're scared?"

"Nope." Taking a nip of skin between her teeth, "Bored." In response, Callie moaned in pleasure. "If you would like me to stop…" Callie shook her head slowly as the kisses continued. The subtle movement above her igniting her arousal. The pressure on her core intensified as they both searched for friction. Fingertips began to trace over loose material searching for any exposed skin. The need to feel each other grew. "Bed, now!" The whispered voice was almost growled and sent shivers tingling down Callie's spine. Quickly the weight lifted, freeing her, and delicate hands were offered to help her to her feet.

No words were spoken as Callie was led up the stairs. As they ascended the photo adorned staircase, she smiled as she passed her favorite photo of the couple. A black and white shot of them laughing as they embraced during the first dance at their wedding. It always brought a smile to her face.

Entering the dim light room, Callie pulled her back, turning her and instantly found her mouth with her own. The kiss from both women, although slow, was full of passion, want. Tongues slowly danced around the other, brushing against lips as hands gripped soft skin, pulling bodies tightly against each other, inciting moans of delight.

Callie's hands, which had started tangled in blonde locks, loosened their grip and began to ghost down the silky material until she found the hem of the loose shirt and helped it up over her head. "Well, since we don't have work tomorrow, how about the only thing we do quick here is get these pesky clothes off?" Callie was instantly met with a sexy smile which gave her the answer she wanted.

Both woman wasted no time in removing their clothing and mouths were back against each other within seconds. The feeling of skin on skin was incredible, soft and warm, and Callie heard herself growl as strong hands firmly pulled at her hips. Both their arousal could be felt against the other's thigh. Every small slick movement sent ripples of excitement coursing through their bodies as their want for each other ignited like a burning fuse. Kisses intensified as Callie began to direct them toward the bed until they could move no further. As they both sunk onto the soft bed, Callie positioned herself so she could get better access, moving blonde hair from her neck, she left soft kisses, occasionally grazing her teeth gently across skin as she made her way down her neck. Her hand slowly worked its way over smooth naked flesh until stopping to gently rub a puckered nipple for a few moments before her fingers continued on. Her mouth picking up where her fingers left off, to take a now erect pink nipple against Callie's wet lips. Her tongue licking around its surface before sucking the bud into her mouth which resulted in a satisfied sigh.

Callie's fingers continued their route across soft skin as her mouth continued to lavish attention onto the sensitive nipple. Hands tugging gently at her hair spurring her on. Moving past wet curls, her fingers parted soaked folds. The body underneath arched against her hand trying to feel more as Callie continued to tease.

"Calliope. Please. I need…" The way the words hung in the air, Callie smiled and stopped to look into darkened eye's watching her, pleading silently to her in the dim light of their sanctuary. She continued to watch while she dipped two fingers slowly through her slick folds, finding an erect clit before she began to circle it, slowly. "Oh fuck, that feels amazing."

She knew her wife, knew how she liked to be touched. Knew how much teasing she could get away with before the woman would become too sensitive. She had become a master at this, at knowing the _tells_ of her wife's body. Knowing the best moment to thrust two fingers deep within before stilling for a few moments. Then, using a 'come-hither' movement quickly, she would send her into a euphoric bliss as muscles would clench and pulse around Callie's fingers as she came.

She _knew_ her wife.

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Sleepy eyes tried to blink away the drowsiness. She was unsure what had stirred her from her sex induced coma, but as she lay in the darkness she could feel the warmth from the naked body lying next to her. Hear the gentle sound of her breathing, the feel of the rise and fall of her chest against her arm.

Peaceful, calm, she could think of no other place she'd rather be than cuddled in, tangled in the embrace of her lover. She smiled into the darkness, this was her favorite place.

She could feel her eyelids become heavy again as her contentment eased her over and sleep decided to take hold once again. Once, twice, three times she blinked before her eyes remained closed. Drifting off once again until she startled, like when you have a dream where you're falling. That pang in your heart when your subconscious decides to try and give you a heart attack. It lasts seconds until you realize you're still safe in bed. Except this time her heart was still racing as she realized the person lying next to her startled too.

"Did you hear that?" Callie could see the panicked movement of her wife. With every movement the moonlight would reflect of her sleek body.

"Sssh." Callie blindly reached out grabbing for a hand trying to soothe. "I think it's coming from outside." A crashing noise like a trash can being knocked over had them grip each other tighter in comfort. "Probably a scavenger. Cat…raccoon maybe?" Callie mused before another loud noise and Callie quickly turned on her bedside lamp. Turning to see the fear in those beautiful eyes, made Callie reach for her dressing gown and slowly make her way over to the window.

"I told you to stop scaring the kids. Now that they've ditched the younger ones, it's probably them coming back for payback." Her voice was a mix of fear and teasing as Callie looked out the window seeing nothing. She shook her head as she stepped back and turned to face her wife who was almost hiding under the sheets.

"Stay here. I'm just going to check down stairs." She tried to give a smile that didn't project the fear that was currently making her stomach churn.

Turning on every light as she passed, she made as much noise as possible. If there was a burglar in the house, she didn't want to startle them and end up dead. As an avid fan of horror films she wasn't making the same mistake as all the screaming bimbos. They would always joke about how something was scary, so turn the freaking lights on.

She moved through every room in the house, turning on every light, checking every corner before she turned the lights back off and made her way back to their bedroom. "It's obviously just the tiny amount of that film we watched making our minds…" As she pushed the bedroom door open she tried to scream, but nothing came out. She stood in the entrance to the room frozen in horror, there was so much red. Blood covered the white sheets but her wife was gone from the bed.

She didn't have a chance to move as the faceless figure came running for her, the steel of the blade dripping with blood.

"Ow!" He brought his hands up to his eyes trying to protect himself from the flailing arms. He could feel his eye as it began to throb where she clattered him. "Babe, wake up!" Grabbing both her arms till she calmed, he tried to soothe her as she began to become aware of her surroundings. Once he felt that she had relaxed, he turned and switched the bedside lamp on.

"Callie, you're okay I got you." He brushed away sweat drenched hair from her face and gave her a gentle kiss at her temple. "Baby, did you have another nightmare?" He watched her with brown caring eyes. She looked at him and couldn't hold it together anymore as she brought her shaking hand to her mouth. "Was it the same one?" he asked carefully.

Callie paused for a moment before nodding her head, it brushed against his stubbled chin and on reaction she wanted to pull away oddly. She flushed slightly when she thought back to the blonde woman grinding against her and then the woman's blue eyes flashed across her memory before she remembered all the blood. Tears followed as he scooped her up into his strong embrace.

"Baby, I'm okay, you're fine. We're both alive. It was just a bad dream. See?" He took her hand and linked their fingers together.

Callie held on to him tight as he began rocking her calmingly, his hand running softly across her back trying to soothe her. She listened to his deep, raspy voice as he repeated that everything was fine. Callie just looked off into space, the thump of his heart pounded loudly in her head as she rested against his chest.

Everything was _not_ fine.

She had been having this dream repeatedly for weeks now but this was the first time it had so much detail. That it wasn't him lying next to her, and that it wasn't him she was making love to.

Closing her eyes tightly as the tears threatened to spill once again, she couldn't place the woman in her dreams. She had no idea who this woman was.

Blonde hair, blue eyes and the wedding photograph with a blurred face haunted her thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I was hoping to have this up quicker than now but I'm sorry and after pestering Donteatblue yesterday to read through when she's been busy and then not post because of internet issues... I feel sucky. So thank you very much Blue you are awesome. Thanks to Shinata-Rioyoko for being a great beta. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review and thank you to anyone reading and enjoying enough to come back for more. I'll update as soon as I can, but I don't like to rush things and give out rubbish.

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 **Chapter Two**

 _"I love you and I want more. I want commitment. I want rings. Your mother is wrong, what we have isn't wrong, it's not evil. The love we have for each other is real and it's right. Marry me, Calliope? Marry me."_

The liquid burned as it slid down her throat. It had her shaking her head as downing a shot of tequila often did with her, but she was also trying to shake the sweet, calming, but confusing voice from her head.

Since the dream earlier in the week, _her_ voice continued to stalk Callie's mind, appearing at the most inappropriate times.

She placed her glass on the table next to the first empty shot glass of the night as well as her cell phone. Callie stared at the small remainder of the light brown liquid pooling together at the bottom, and almost wished it would refill itself. She was fighting with her subconscious on whether or not to order another, but didn't have the energy to get up and go over to the bar even though she had picked the booth closest to it. She could probably shout her order, but even that seemed like too much effort; she hadn't been sleeping properly and she was exhausted. As a last resort, the hope that alcohol would drown out the voice and help her sleep was welcomed, but two shots down and _her_ voice only grew louder.

Tapping the black screen of her cell phone, the time displayed in large numbers showing her that it was only a minute after she last checked. Releasing a sigh, she rested her head back against the booth's padded cushion and shifted her position slightly to survey the room. She'd been here a few times, it was old fashioned, dark and cosy based on pubs of the early 2000's. It was a welcomed change from the bright white wall and simplistic design that was all the rage in 2064.

Her slow movements were a pitiful attempt to look around, trying to move her head as little as possible, she gave up and regarded the ceiling before closing her eyes. She tried to block out the drunken rabble that would occasionally drown out the sport commentators talking over the game viewed on the big screen taking over one wall of the smallish bar.

For a moment, the noise of the outside world invaded the dimly lit space as the door opened before crashing closed in the wind, returning it to loud whispers and shouted calls for the referee to open his damn eyes. She could feel a little of the fresh air rush in and flush her face before it was snuffed out by the faint smell of stale beer mixed with cleaning products.

"Straight into the hard stuff huh, Cal? We're not as young as we once were." High heeled footsteps clipped across the wooden floor beside her, but she didn't open her eyes as she knew the voice of her friend. "Can I have another two of whatever the hell it is she's drinking? And a caramel latte with an extra shot?" Addison shouted across to the barman and then took a moment to look at Callie sitting in the booth, her closed eyes, head tipped toward the ceiling. She could see Callie had that 'head was about to burst' look, and she knew the woman wanted to talk or she wouldn't have received the pleading text message to come meet her, but she also knew this new Callie. How she missed the old Callie who would blurt out everything in her head before she had time for her ass to hit the seat, it was so much easier back then than trying to pry information from new Callie. More alcohol would hopefully loosen the woman's lips and help her along so Addison could get back to the very naked personal trainer lying between her sheets.

"You can have black coffee, the sugar and cream is over there." The bartender nodded in a general direction at the far side of the bar, his face contorted into what she thought was an attempted smile before he placed the empty glasses on the bar and began pouring the tequila.

"Fine, make that three shots and give me a glass of red wine and a glass of white." Callie chuckled as she overheard Addison finish with an exaggerated sigh at the hardship.

Callie looked over in time to see the redhead hold her wrist up for him to scan before she dipped into her purse and retrieved some notes. Callie watched as he shook his head and tried to give her the notes back but she shoo'd him off with a wave of her hand, he dipped his head in thanks as this time he accepted her tip.

Addison didn't address Callie as she climbed into the booth. She just placed the shots on the table and shimmied herself onto the padded seat, pushing one of the shot glasses in Callie's direction before she glanced away, distracted by a group of men shouting their way through the pub to sit at a table near the toilets. It was an obvious attempt to ogle women as they passed because it was a terrible place to watch the game. One of them caught that she was watching them and nudged his friend's arm, nodding in her direction. His drunken face trying to be alluring, failed terribly. His friend turned to have a look and liking what he saw, also gave her an approving nod. Callie found herself chuckle once again as Addison dismissed him with an arched eyebrow and a negative shake of her head.

"Drink!" Addison whose attention came back to Callie, nodded at one of the glasses and picked up the other. "When in Rome and all…" she held the glass aloft before throwing her head back as she downed the liquid. Finishing, the glass was slammed to the table with satisfaction and a small nod of her head. "Oh, that hit the spot!"

Bringing the glass to her lips, Callie threw her head back and the liquid was gone with a shake of her own. It wasn't as elegantly done as her companion though, two previous shots and exhaustion loosening up her movements. Callie turned and looked at the woman who was sitting with her own empty glass patiently waiting for her to spill what had her in a bar on a work night.

Callie motioned to talk before her brain stalled her, and she was left opening and closing her mouth as the words refused to leave. When a waitress brought their wine over, Callie grabbed it as soon it was placed on the table taking a large gulp of the red. Addison could see Callie's indecision and pushed the final shot toward her.

"Talk after that." Nodding at the glass, she offered a caring smile along with it.

Callie lifted the shot and knocked it back, there was no shake of the head this time as the straight alcohol finally began to have the desired effect. Placing the glass back down, her hand was already reaching for her glass of wine, maybe holding onto something would help ground her so she could spit out what she needed to say. With her head hung toward the table Addison shook her own and placed her hand comfortingly over her friends. "Sweetie, are you alright?"

Callie shook her head and this time only took a sip from her glass trying to stall and gather her thoughts that were whirling around her skull.

"What's Grant the Asshat done now?" Addison tried to keep her resentment for the man from her tone, but Callie chuckled anyway, slowly shaking her head.

Since Addison and Callie had bumped into each other in a bar just over six months ago their friendship had rekindled after losing touch after college. When Callie introduced her fiancé, Addison had an instant dislike for the man. He was a good five or six years older than Callie she'd guessed. Tall, with greying hair and very business-like attitude. He wasn't ugly but he wasn't to the standard she'd ever imagined for Callie. Yes, she knew she was being a bit of a bitch and snob, but there was just something off about him, and that was even before she saw how controlling and overbearing he was; he treated Callie like a prized possession.

"It's not him, it's me… I'm…" Callie paused and ran her hand through her long, almost black, hair. "I've been having a weird dream recently." She began to play with the bottom of her wine glass. "It really doesn't feel like a dream though… It feels real, well it did until this one because…" Callie began to laugh nervously, "Well, because it's of me and my _wife_." Addison's mouth fell open and flapped a few times before Callie's laughter intensified. "See. It's crazy right. But I can't shake the dream… it's a very _vivid_ sex dream Addison, well before all the fear and blood kills the mood."

Addison smirked and lifted her eyebrow as she took a drink from her glass. "Not to sound like a pervert, Callie, but please, do tell?" Addison's smile intensified when she watched Callie's posture shift as she grew uncomfortable with the way Addison continued to stare at her before her eyes almost popped from her head as the gears in her brain began to connect. "Oh shit! Is this why you've been putting off setting a date for the wedding? Sapphic..."

"No! That's not the reason. And why am I not surprised that's what you're wanting to know about?" Callie cut her friend off. "Not the blood or fear."

"Oh, I'm sure the scary part is just a nightmare, the sex part, now that is interesting and something I happen to be excellent at." Addison gave a cheeky smile and waved her hands whimsically. "Please continue."

Callie sighed, she knew that was the part her friend would be interested in. "This is the first time it was her, the dream was always me and Grant before!" Shaking her head in confusion because it had felt so real. "It felt like this was something that's happened to me, a memory. And now I keep hearing her voice. The way she says my name, seriously it's so cliche, it's like music and you know how much I get annoyed when anyone uses my full name." Callie over emphasised her shiver and sighed as Addison continued to smirk.

"So, what does she look like? Is it someone I know? Do they work for you? Have you been seeing her around the office and now you're having dreams about bending over office furniture and scissoring!" Worryingly for Callie, Addison seemed far too excited by this confession.

"Ew, really Addison?" Callie clenched her eyes shut and shook her head, probably more than her drunken body would have liked as she felt a little woozy with the quick movement.

"Fine… how about pussy locking?" Addison clamped her hands together for added effect. When Callie scowled she continued on in amusement, loving the way she could make her friend squirm. "Bumping doughnuts? Rock, Paper, Vagina? Pocket docket? Rose-Bud-Thud? Clam jousting? No? How about churning butter?"

"Enough! Oh God, please stop!" Callie couldn't stop the deep husky laugh that erupted. Addison laughed hard, too. "Seriously, how do you even know that?"

"My friend Vicki, she keeps my old ass up to date with all the hip new jargon." Addison laughed as she picked up her glass taking a sip and then composing herself. "Okay, so I'm sorry...Please continue. Do you know this woman in your dream?"

"I can't remember, I mean whenever I try to remember what she looks like it's just a blur. Gorgeous blue eyes and blonde, curly hair is all I can tell you." Callie sighed.

"If it was a memory you would remember such an event, Sweetie." Addison chuckled. "Maybe you've seen something..."

"It wasn't something I've seen in a movie. That's what Grant said." Callie huffed in annoyance.

Addison had just taken another drink and sprayed the table with wine, she covered her mouth with her hand trying to stop anymore from spilling from her lips, gulping it down quickly. "Wait, you told Grant about you going down on a lady?"

"When did I say that? I _did_ _not_ say that! Stop putting words in my mouth." Callie whined.

"It's not words in your mouth I was worried about." Addison laughed as Callie playfully hit out at her.

"Stop it, you're not helping! You're meant to be helping me figure out what's going on." Callie couldn't stop herself from laughing along with her friend.

"Listen Callie, maybe it's just your own mind's way of telling you not to marry the idiot, because you're obviously not listening to me. Seriously, you can do so much better than him. I remember what you were like back in college, you were a borderline nymphomaniac!" Addison tried to keep her face serious as she placed both her hands over Callie's. "Maybe his dick just isn't enough for you anymore?"

"Hey! Mean." Callie freed her hands and swatted her friend's hands away as she laughed louder, the drink was definitely hitting the spot now. Calming herself down, her face grew serious for a moment, "I'm saving that special bond between us for our wedding night." Callie found herself laughing again at Addison's expression.

"Oh dear lord, Callie! You mean you haven't had sex with him?" Addison eyes widened and she slapped the table dramatically. "Shit, I thought the size of his dick had to be the reason you were with him, cause it's certainly not his personality! Wait, but you had sex with him in your first version of the dream?"

"Vulgar, trust you. And I'm not dead Addie! Just because we haven't had sex yet doesn't mean I can't have dreams about sex." Callie snorted at the face her friend was making, Addison couldn't believe it. They sat there chuckling before Callie's demeanour changed, her eyebrows furrowed and her expression grew sad. "It is weird isn't it? It's out of character for me, right?" Both women looked seriously at each other before both took another drink from their wine glasses.

"You're right, Addison. I love sex, I love being in love. When I am. I'm all in... I don't know, maybe it's just with the stress of the move and having to step up responsibilities in the company." Callie had been thinking about her relationship with Grant a lot these past weeks and she really didn't know why she was with him. Though she would remember how much her stomach flipped the first time he kissed her, the little things like whenever he passed he always had to kiss her sweetly. That didn't happen anymore.

"Maybe." Addison sighed and took another sip. "But I believe there is someone better waiting for you out there, man or woman. Just not that prick." Addison smirked as Callie narrowed her eyes. "Where is the douchebag anyway? Normally he doesn't let you two feet from his side and you never get to come and visit me alone. Actually, do you ever get to go anywhere without him?"

Callie shook her head and played with the bottom of her glass once again. "No, I don't, do I?" Callie was really just saying it aloud, she had been so blind to it before and Addison saying it stirred something in her. "Working late… I snuck out. That last dream just wigged me the fuck out. I haven't been able to sleep for the last couple of nights. I've just been lying there, watching him sleep and it just feels wrong… I flinch when he touches me. I know he must feel me tense up. It sounds ridiculous, but I felt as though I was cheating," Callie took another drink and licked her lips after. "He obviously hasn't had anyone check in on me yet. It's the only reason I don't have Dumb and Dumber following me."

Addison looked around quickly surveying the area. "That's what's different! You don't have them shadowing you. I was wondering where Shrek and Donkey were. So, has the sexy stalker stopped?"

"Sexy?" Callie gave her a look. "Maybe… I haven't seen him lurking recently. I did hear Tom tell Grant that he and Barry gave him a thrashing. I feel sorry for him actually, he doesn't look that threatening and the last time I got a good look at him before they dragged him away he looked sad and worried. I don't know why he's bothering about me." Callie shrugged.

"Yeah, the description you gave me, he totally sounds like my type. Well, apart from the creepy stalking I suppose." Addison paused in thought.

"You have a serious mental problem, do you know that? Stalker is not a quality you should look for in a man. Do I need to get you an appointment with a therapist?" Callie snorted.

"Maybe, but only if the therapist is good looking." Addison wiggled her eyebrows before her mannerisms grew serious. "And your stalker problem, no doubt it's because you're Carlos Torres' daughter. Since… well, with the CEO's absence you have kind of become the public face of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate company." With the mention of Callie's father all jovial tone left Addison's voice. "How is he doing?"

"Ssh, Addison you're as bad as Grant. No one ever recognises me when I'm out." Callie gave Addison a pointed look which had Addison holding her hands up as a sign of backing down so Callie would continue. "He's doing better, I visited last week. His doctors are telling him he needs to take it easy, but you know Daddy has faith in his product and he's trying to run the company from his sick bed. Mom's been named interim CEO and is keeping everything ticking over. Actually, the company might be running smoother… just don't tell Daddy I said that. Grant's actually been such a rock for my mother, her right hand man" Callie offered a clipped laugh. With the alcohol now sloshing around her head, her lips were definitely not having any problem divulging information. "We're just a few months away from the launch of the Anamnesis program, and Grant has been totally geeking out about the damn thing and how it's going to revolutionise the way we use our brains, and the difference it's going to make."

"You don't seem too excited by it. The whispers I've heard going around say it's kinda a huge deal?"

"It is. It's huge, I know that." Callie smiled when she thought about what her father had achieved. "I'm just not sure how ethical it is, you know?"

"Your company is the leading, no strike that, the _only_ manufacturer of bio-mechanical organs, and cybernetic prosthetics, any ethical discussions were handled years ago by your father and his army of lawyers." Addison finished as a waitress came over and placed another glass of red and white wine down on the table. Callie looked at her in confusion. "We didn't order that?"

"I'm sorry, Ms Torres, I recognised you and…" Callie narrowed her eyes at her friend when she caught the 'I told you so look' from Addison. "It's from me, actually. I'm the owner and all the drinks, anything you want is on the house for you whenever you come here." Callie continued to look at the woman as though she had grown a second head. "My daughter would have died if it wasn't for your company, it was before free health care and our health insurance just wouldn't cover what she needed. It was a car crash twelve years ago. Cybernetic right arm, a lung and three ribs… I wasn't sure how I could have paid, but when it's your baby…" the woman paused as she tried to control her emotions. "But when the bill came in, it said it had been taken care of by the company. She's twenty six now, and actually works as a Prosthetist at Asclepius Memorial. My name is Tina and this is such a small thank you, please accept it." Tina took Callie's hand, and Callie smiled and nodded her head. The woman smiled brightly and dipped her head as she backed away.

"Your dad really does have a big heart and a thing for Greek Mythology doesn't he?" Addison tried to lighten the mood. She could see that Callie's eyes had glazed over, her father had always been so generous. Tina's daughter must have been one of the first patients after the FDA's approval to use their cybernetic technology. Her father, a robotics prodigy, had his own company by the age of twenty seven and a run in with one Dr. Ellis Grey at a medical equipment seminar formed a friendship, and then business partnership that would change the medical and technology world forever.

"So I take it the Anamnesis Program had something to do with Grey, I heard she had Alzheimer's?" Addison brought Callie back from her thoughts.

"Yeah, unfortunately five years too late for her, but they started the project around ten years ago. God, that woman was scary, but she had the same determination as my father. She wanted to find a cure for Alzheimer's so her daughter didn't have to go through what she did. Forgetting what made you, you... it's a horrible thought. They did make a good team, God rest her soul." Callie paused to take a sip of her wine and then smirked as she tapped the table with her finger trying to get Addison's attention once again as the woman's eyes had wandered to the guys at the toilets once again. "Did you know Grey had already… what's the word?" Callie sat back, her hand tapped against her forehead now. "Oh! 'Absorbed' four hospitals before my father joined forces with her. They were suited business partners, both frightening in their pursuit to have top class healthcare for everyone. I think the company has grown bigger than I ever think he envisaged it."

"Well, buying out every competitor, would certainly grow a company." Addison laughed.

" _Absorbed_! I prefer my way of saying it." Callie laughed. "My father is a great Roboticist, but he's a truly excellent businessman. Our BCI's have changed the lives of so many people already, paralyzed people can walk again, people who have lost their eyesight, hearing, restored like new. Alzheimer's doesn't destroy lives anymore because the BCI's and Anamnesis chip can store memories, they're not lost anymore. It's amazing." Callie gushed. "But the Anamnesis program seems like a step too far… it feels like cashing in I suppose. I'm not sure it's the right thing to get involved with. Anyway, sssshh, I shouldn't have told you that, top secret and all. I have a board meeting later this week where everything is going to be laid out on the table and I'll have a better understanding of it, hopefully. We're voting whether or not we go ahead with it."

Addison laughed and waved her hand in front of her face in a 'don't worry about it' manner. "Well, you know what? I'll be first in line for it. Giving everyone the ability to upload and share their memories, the only thing I will ever agree with Grant to being cool… And maybe you should too and you wouldn't be having this problem forgetting if you're actually a married wom..." Addison was distracted as Callie's phone began to ring and vibrate against the table top with Grant's name flashing across the screen. Eyeing Callie as she went to answer it, Addison jabbed a manicured finger down on the decline button. She smiled wickedly as Callie looked up at her as her message tone sounded.

" _Where are you Callie?"_ displayed on the screen.

"He's an asshole, Callie. He's manipulative and a bully." Addison couldn't hold her tongue when she saw the message.

"He's...he's just worried about me." In her heart she didn't know why she was sticking up for him. When she tried to think back to the day they met, all she got was conflicting images, it was jumping from his face to the blurred blonde woman like static on an old TV. Callie closed her eyes tight and rubbed her forehead soothingly. "I can't just leave him."

"Why not?" Addison watched Callie look at her and roll her eyes. "Because of your mom?"

"She really likes Grant and she's been so excited about a wedding."

"Callie, you need to grow a pair. You're not a child. You only get one life; love who you want to love. Fuck your mom." Callie's froze as she heard the words in her head again. _I love you and I want more. I want commitment. I want rings. Your mother is wrong, what we have isn't wrong, it's not evil. The love we have for each other is real and it's right. Marry me, Calliope? Marry me._ "You need to stop caring about her opinion and do what you want. It was the same back at college you always did what your bloody family wanted. You wanted to get into medicine and your father pressured you to follow in his footsteps, now look at you." Addison looked pointedly at Callie and finished off her wine in one gulp.

"What? Next in line to take over a multi trillion dollar company?" Callie bit her lip before both women burst into a fit of laughter.

Addison's phone began to sing "Let's get the party started" as it vibrated against the table. Quickly answering and putting the phone to her ear, her eyes scrunched in concentration. "Susan? Are you alright?" placing a finger in her ear her eyes widened and a smile slowly grew. "Oooo, yes. We'll be there. Give us twenty to grab a car. See you in a bit."

Callie could see trouble stirring in her friend's eyes as she began typing out a text message. Callie just sat quietly watching waiting for her to elaborate.

"That was my friend Susan. She's in that new gay club with Vicki. Turns out Vicki is on the hunt for her girlfriend and the woman she's been screwing behind Vicki's back. And with your recent lady filled dreams…" Addison clapped her hands in excitement and her phone buzzed again. "Okay drink up, Dan will be here to get us shortly. It won't take him long, ten minutes maybe, he's only back at mine. No wait, probably fifteen at least, he'll need to find where I threw his clothes" Addison giggled at the thought.

"Dan?" Callie looked puzzled for a moment as she tried to think who Dan was. "Wait, Dan? As in your personal trainer Dan? I meant to ask you why you had a personal trainer, you don't even exercise?"

"Trust me, my fitness regime is very physical." Addison laughed.

Callie's phone buzzed once again and as she looked at the message Addison caught the growl that left her lips.

" _STAY where you are. Tom and Barry will be there to collect you. Love, Grant"_

"Where is this club then?" Callie asked as she looked at Addison while she turned off her phone. Addison smiled brightly. It was great to see Callie have that fire in her eyes she hadn't seen since college.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Hey thanks to all of you who have shown interest in this. Story follows, author follows and of course reviews. It's very encouraging to hear what folk think. I really hope you continue to enjoy and let me know. I have three lovely people sorting through this for me, my grammar and punctuation hero's. I talk really fast and it comes through when I write because I forget important things like comma's. Donteatblue, Shinata-Rioyoko and Alida thank you muchly for your awesomeness. Anyway, I've been trying to update this once a week but I'm getting busy now that Christmas is upon us so I will continue to try my best. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

Callie sat in silence in the back of Dan's car, the side of her forehead leaning against the cold glass of the window as she tried to focus on the water racing down in front of her eyes. The street lights flashing past as he drove quickly made her head spin, the alcohol in her system already making the effect worse. The streets were surprisingly quiet even for a Thursday night, the heavy rain keeping both locals and tourists inside the first bar or club they had arrived at. No bar hopping on foot in this weather. If you wanted to try a different scene, it was a taxi and most folks would rather spend the taxi money on an extra drink.

Addison continued her off-key singing along to the radio as the world continued to race past her window. She thought about how little of the city she'd seen since they had moved here six months ago. If it wasn't being stuck in the office keeping her busy, it was going out to benefits for work. As Addison had said, she had become the face of the company since her father had his heart attack.

A year ago, Callie had been happy running one of her father's labs specializing in neuroprosthetics. Addison was correct when she'd said Callie had wanted to get into medicine. She'd always been fascinated with bones and had even gone so far as to contemplate orthopedic surgery, but her family had already determined where her future would lie. She had become an excellent roboticist and it was her designs based on the human skeletal system that their hospitals were currently using. Actually, Callie _did_ enjoy it. She would always make sure she was there to monitor the fitting of the prosthesis. To see the joy, first hand. But then her father complicated it and made her a member of the board on her thirty-fifth birthday. In seeing the fear in his daughter's eyes, he smiled and promised to ease her into it. He would never let her fall. However, six months ago, her father took ill and she found herself out there, stepping up her role in the company without his comforting shadow behind her keeping her safe.

In the last ten years, Torres Tech Industries had grown into the mega corporation it was today, absorbing the likes of Apple, Google, Microsoft, and any other company Carlos Torres and his board members decided would be beneficial to their company. Controlling these businesses were how they made their money, which allowed Carlos and Ellis Grey the ability to provide their goal of free healthcare. The company owned six hospitals, fifteen research laboratories, and Carlos's original medical tech company. If it was technology, Torres Tech Industries had its name on it somewhere. Carlos Torres was a busy man, but he was always a father first and a businessman second and Callie was the apple of his eye. His family were everything to him.

"You just missed the turn!" Addison stopped singing to hit her fist hard against Dan's shoulder and began manically pointing out of the window at the bright neon signage that protruded from the alley way before disappearing around the surrounding buildings.

Dan just turned briefly to look at her pointedly. "Did you not see the road works signs blocking the road?"

"Oh." Addison turned her attention back to the radio. The crackling voices distorted as the signal cut out and came back. She held the button down as she scanned the stations trying to find another song. Callie shifted her position as her eyelids began to close, the movement of the car gently rocking her into an alcohol-induced repose, but then she heard her father's name mentioned in the serious tone of a news reader before it contorted into static noise.

"Go back!" Callie managed to get herself up from her sedate position and placed a hand on Addison's shoulder, making sure she'd actually got her attention. Addison returned to the previous station.

" _ **...rres Tech Industries representatives haven't given us much except that they have been made aware of the circumstances surrounding the death and have said that they've offered their own security forces' services to assist the police in any way necessary. I've been Kevin Skirtle and that was today's top stories on Starlight radio."**_

Hearing the word death and her father's name together had Callie scrambling for her phone as she remembered she'd switched it off. She was panicking that someone had tried to contact her. Frantically, her hand felt around blindly in her handbag, the light offered from the windows useless and her frustration resulted in a growl and her turning her bag upside down. The contents spilled onto the cream leather interior, but to her scattered brain, it was just dark shapes against the lighter surface.

"Callie, relax, it was not your dad." As soon as Addison heard the frantic movement in the back, she realized Callie had probably thought something had happened to her father. Scanning the news she had quickly brought up on her phone, she let out the breath she'd been holding. "Hey! Listen to this. The police have found the body of a forty-two year old man earlier today. This is the third victim in less than a week to have been found with an organ missing. Police representatives have not released the victims' names yet, but have confirmed that all three have had their bio-organ removed." Addison looked over her shoulder and saw that Callie finally had her phone in her hand. "You haven't switched that on, have you?"

"Um, no. I was just going..."

"No, don't! I bet you he's got a tracker on your phone." Addison nodded toward the item in Callie's hand. "We're having Grant-free fun remember?"

"You're probably right." Callie looked sadly at the black screen and then put it in her bag along with the other discarded items. Settling herself back against the chair, she looked back out into the rain swept street, trying to bring her heart rate back down. The thought of what kind of mess was she going to have to deal with at work tomorrow played in the back of her mind.

* * *

Both huddled under an umbrella looking at the ground, they raced as quickly as their drunk brains would allow. The two women giggled as they stumbled to a stop when they saw the water-soaked shoes in front of them. The clearing of his throat made them look up from under their umbrella at the sodden and unimpressed mammoth of a bouncer standing in their way of the entrance.

"Wrists, please?" His unamused voice made them laugh more as Dan finally caught up with them. Dan gave him an apologetic smile as he held out his wrist, allowing the bouncer to run his scanner over. Addison followed suit and then Callie did the same. After a few moments of checking the details that came onto his screen, Callie watched as his features softened and he stepped to the side. "Welcome to Majeek."

Dan formed a path as he elbowed his way through the crowds of people clogging up the dance floor. He moved quickly, lacking in patience, and with true determination as only someone sober outnumbered by boneless drunks could. Addison clutched onto his hand as he shielded her from the drunken bodies that almost bounced off his well-toned frame. Callie herself swayed as the alcohol in her system sloshed about, toying with her gravity, which left her feeling a little sick as she watched people bouncing off one another. It was a land version of seasickness, people crashing like the waves against her as they danced lost in the thumping music. She steadied herself enough to follow behind in the trench Dan and Addison created across the dance floor before coming to a stop when Addison squealed like an alert beacon in the night, throwing her hands into the air.

"SUSAN!" Callie was impressed that she could actually hear Addison's voice over the bass of the music. She was sure there was actually supposed to be some sort of rhythm, a beat in there somewhere, but thumping noise just seemed to vibrate up her legs. Callie watched as a very cheerful blonde woman sprung up from the group cramped around a small table with her arms in the air and both women embraced.

"Beer?" Dan spun on his feet and turned to face Callie. She just barely heard him and nodded. There was no point trying to ask for anything else. He would never be able to hear her and she didn't feel like trying to play charades. He offered her a smile and then disappeared into the sea of bouncing bodies.

"Susan, this is Callie." Callie offered the woman a small smile and a brief wave of her hand, but the next thing Callie knew, she was in the woman's arms, being squeezed ridiculously tight before being released. "How's Vicki?" Addison narrowed her eyes, trying to peer into the darkened corner where Susan's group sat in search of the distraught woman.

"In her search for Lyndsey, she got a little preoccupied." Susan nodded her head toward the back wall, near the toilets.

"Oh!" Addison's eyes widened before she pointed out Vicki for Callie to see as she laughed. "The woman over there built like the brick shit house would be Vicki."

Callie looked over to witness the very butch woman with another woman, a toothpick in comparison, very closely pressed together and possibly very close to breaking public exposure laws.

"I think it's safe to say that we don't need to worry about Vicki looking for Lyndsey anymore." Susan laughed as she ushered them into sit with her group.

"I was kinda looking forward to the faceoff." Addison huffed as she linked arms with Callie and guided her to the group.

* * *

Callie was enjoying herself. She couldn't remember the last time she was allowed to be this free in her friend's company. The conversations were hysterical, stories of embarrassing situations at work, wardrobe malfunctions, and first meetings where all told in good humor and kept the atmosphere light. Addison's friends were just as crazy as the woman herself and Dan, he was sweet, even if he did nothing to discourage the brawn over brain stigma that followed gym buffs.

Callie, out of instinct, checked her phone for the time, but chuckled when she remembered she'd turned it off. Unfortunately, the unresponsive black screen then reminded her of why she turned it off in the first place. The thought of Grant made her mood sour and the need for another drink became apparent. Pulling at Addison's wrist to see the time, she squinted her eyes trying to read the tiny face. Forty minutes they had been here and she had been holding in a pee for the last thirty. She shook her head as Addison didn't even flinch and she continued on with her story, her audience completely captivated. She always had that presence about her, even back in college, she could have people listening to every word that came out of her mouth, no matter how ridiculous.

Pulling herself up from the chair, she adjusted her top before picking up her bag and leather jacket. Addison paused and turned to give her a questioning look. "Gotta pee! I'll be back."

"Do you want me to come with you?" the redhead queried.

"I'm capable of going by myself, Addison." Callie rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend. "I'll go to the bar when I get back. Same again?"

"That would be great…. but it is a _gay_ bar, Cal. With the Sapphic vibes coming from you just now, you're like a bitch in heat. Someone might jump you in the stall." Addison smirked. She couldn't hear Callie growl, but by the expression on her face, she knew that's exactly what she did.

Callie turned on the spot and made her way to the toilets. She needed to pee so much now that hitting Addison would have to wait. It was Addison after all. She was sure the chance would arise again. Luckily, when she entered, there was no line and she was able to dash into the first stall.

A relieved sigh later, she grabbed some tissue in preparation as she heard the main door open. Pumping house music flooded the entire space before the closing door dulled the bass and two voices spoke loudly. "What do you mean, you lost track of her? You couldn't take your eyes from her for the last thirty minutes. You're a coward, that's what you are!"

"I am not. I was just waiting for the right moment."

Callie smiled. There was something about the voice she recognized. It was almost soothing and she could tell the woman was smiling.

"Uh huh. You're buying the next round, candy ass." the woman chuckled and Callie heard the tap turn on.

Deciding she wanted to see the owner of the voice, Callie finished, but the flush drowned out the pair leaving. Opening the stall door, she stepped out as the undertones of a pleasant perfume lingered in the air. As she looked toward the exit, she regrettably saw a wisp of blonde hair disappear behind a closing door.

Placing her bag on the worktop, she began to run the water, closing her eyes for a moment when she caught whiff of the perfume again. It was familiar and she could swear she heard _Calliope_ echo across her mind. Shaking her head, she sighed and turned off the water. Drying her hands with a paper towel, she shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror; she had no idea what was going on with herself.

* * *

Squeezing her way to the bar, Callie tried to get the attention of the bar staff, but they were busy further up, trying to hear orders over the music. As someone pushed past her, she was thrust into the metal railing surrounding the bar. Looking around to give the person an earful, she heard the apologies before she made eye contact with the woman.

"I'm so sorry! Some idiot pushed me and I lost my balance … oh god, did I hurt you?"

Callie stared at the woman with confusion. Her voice sounded so familiar. It sounded _exactly_ like the one from her dreams and it caught Callie off guard. Even through her confusion, Callie knew it was definitely the _candy ass_ from the bathroom. Shaking her head, Callie realized she was gripping her own arm and staring in creepy fashion at the woman. "I'm okay, just bumped my arm." Callie finally let go of her arm and held it up to show the woman. "See? No harm." She smiled brightly when the woman smiled back at her. "Hi, I'm Callie …" Callie's attention was drawn away from the beautiful woman when she caught a scuffle out of the corner of her eye. Her smile began to falter when she saw the two uniformed men pushing in through the crowded entrance.

"Oh, crap!" Callie turned her head away, looking at the bar, trying to shield her face. The blonde woman looked around to see what had Callie spooked. Watching as the two out of place burley men came pushing through toward them, she could feel the panic radiating off of the other woman.

Callie was shocked as she felt the lapels of her jacket pulling her body forward and the next thing she knew, the softest set of lips was crashing against her own. The kiss deepened as she was pulled in closer and, as cliché as it was, she felt like she was melting. Her body was like jelly and the only thing holding her up was the hand now on her waist and another on the back of her neck. Her mind was lost in the kiss. Her own hands moved of their own accord and settled on the soft material-lined hips. Callie felt her stomach flip as her back hit against the bar as she was pushed into it. The woman's perfume invaded her senses and her mind raced. It felt so familiar, but she traced that back to it lingering in the bathroom. What she didn't think about was how she ran her tongue gently against the woman's familiar bottom lip. Or why it might be familiar. Instead, Callie focused solely on what was in front of her. Her stomach clenched when she heard the smallest moan. Both their tongues slid against each other as the kissing continued. She was incredibly turned on and when they finally parted, she stood there motionless except her chest heaving as she tried to slow down her breathing while staring into the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Um… so they're gone now. I best get back to…" The woman fumbled over her words nervously as she pointed in a general direction. Callie looked, but didn't really see anything but the woman, a blush heating her face. "I don't normally do this … but, I don't normally kiss random women either." She pulled a card out of her purse and handed it to Callie, who looked down at it to read the name.

"Arizona Robbins," Callie spoke the name and then looked up at the empty space where the woman had stood. Looking down at the business card once again, she couldn't stop the smile as she looked at the mobile phone number. Finally remembering that Tom and Barry were in the club, she turned and made her way back to Addison's group to make her escape.

Dancing patrons made the path back to Addison and her friends difficult. Callie was half way across the dance floor when she felt the tight grip on her right shoulder stopping her from moving any further.

"Good evening, Ms. Torres. We've been _asked_ to escort you home. Please don't cause a scene." She could feel his breath against her ear before she was spun around to come face to face with Barry.

"I suggest you take your hands off me if you want to keep your job, Mr. O'Neil." Callie tried to shake herself from his grasp unsuccessfully.

"Please don't make a scene. These are your mother's orders to bring you home and she's much scarier than you." Barry laughed.

"Excuse me."

Both men turned to the voice that interrupted from behind them. Callie found herself smiling when she saw that it was Arizona and what must be a few of her friends, but Callie's attention went back to Tom and Barry when she saw that they tensed up. She was pretty sure she heard one of them say "shit" under their breath, which was weird.

"You have no authority to remove this woman and if you don't take your hands off her, I will call the police." Arizona stood firm and reached out to take Callie's hand.

"Ma'am, I would suggest you don't get involved in matters that don't concern you." Tom's voice uncharacteristically waivered in nervousness as he pulled his TTS ID badge from his pocket, his hand shaking just ever so slightly. The untrained eye would miss such a detail, but Callie knew these men were machines. They didn't budge in the face of danger and this scenario was far from dangerous. "Unless you want to be arrested for interfering in our business," he concluded.

One of Arizona's friends pulled at her arm. "Come on, Arizona. They're Torres Tech Security. You know the police will do fucking nothing."

Arizona stood motionless as Callie was led away. She wanted to go after her, but she didn't know anything about her other than her first name. And that her kiss. That breathtaking, heart racing kiss that made her feel as though she was home.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Thanks to everyone for their patience. Thank you for continuing to read and review its great to know that this is being enjoyed. Thank you so much to donteatblue who continues to encourage and support even when she has so much on her plate. A big thank you to Alida who went through this and sorted my grammar, unfortunately I added a little bit extra and did want to bother her with it so any mistakes in there are most definitely my fault. Hope you continue to enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Callie finally managed to pull her arm away from what had been a vice like grip as she was clumsily bundled into the backseat of the company vehicle. His rough skinned, sausage fingers finally let go of her arm and he slammed the door quickly before she had a chance to get her bearings about her. The magnetic locks slipped into place, like a vault door. Callie knew as she heard the 'click' she was stuck in there until they let her go. There was no point trying to open the door. Tech Industry cruisers were fitted with the latest technology and she knew enough about her captors to know that it would be useless. They were ex-military, Tom was ex-navy and Bob had been British Special Forces. No point trying to fight them. Her anger would be better directed at Grant anyway.

Callie sank back against the seat in defeat. The two men's gruff voices mixed together to make a strange dialect that she couldn't make out. She was pretty sure they were talking nonsense, maybe in code so she didn't overhear their conversation. The vehicle's suspension dipped as the bulky men entered and adjusted their positions trying to get themselves comfortable before pushing the button to engage their seatbelts.

"How did you know where I was?" Callie questioned the set of eyes reflecting back at her from the rear-view mirror.

The two men looked at each other briefly before Tom turned the ignition and looked around to check his blind spots before he began to move off. Bob sighed when he realized he drew the short straw and had been left to answer the angry woman. His eyes flashed with momentary panic as he moistened his lips before answering her. He only had one volume level, loud, and it assaulted Callie's eardrums. "Mr. Harris told us where to pick you up. He told us to bring you home, Ms. Torres, for your own safety. He said he'd be waiting for you."

Callie growled as her temper rose. "I _never_ told him where I was tonight, and my phone is off … _So_ how the hell did he know where I was, Bob?" Callie raised her voice. She was pissed that she had been manhandled into the back of a company car and was being escorted home like some scolded child. She watched the two men quickly glance at each other before Bob just smiled smugly. His shoulders shrugged and his "no idea" answer infuriated her more. Tom began to whistle nonchalantly as he kept on course for Callie's residence.

As the minutes ticked by, Tom's whistling ceased and silence continued, but Callie's temper was simmering. She had been running through the events of the past hour in her head. They'd told her that it was her mother that gave the order… But why would her mother involve Grant, she would have just made the order directly to Tom and Bob. "My mother didn't give you the order, did she?" Bob looked back and she watched the smirk appear on his face. They knew that she would put up less of an argument if the order came from her mother. Addison was right. Grant was a huge asshole and his constant shadow over her was changing who she was. She used to be fun and carefree. Never in her life had she been forced home. Even with her father's strictness when she was younger, he had never done such a thing.

Slowing as they got to her security gate, Tom rolled down the window and placed his wrist at the scanner. A green light blinked twice and he brought his arm back into the vehicle and crept the car forward slowly as the metal gates swung open and night became day. Bright light illuminated their path to the driveway.

The stones underneath the wheels crunched and Callie lost her balance slightly in her seat as she hadn't strapped herself in. The two men in the front hardly budged. From the back, they looked as though they just about fit in their seats with their shaved heads brushing the roof and their broad shoulders touching both each other and the sides of the vehicle's frame.

Tom stopped behind Callie's car in the driveway while Bob unclipped his belt and got out of the car. The vehicle's suspension dipped and creaked as he moved. The noise it made almost sounded relieved as the weight lifted off its springs, giving it some momentary respite.

Callie scowled at Bob as he placed his thumb over the sensor on the door panel, releasing the magnetic lock and opening the door for her. He stood to the side and gestured for her to get out. "Have a pleasant night, Ms. Torres." He smiled smugly as he watched rage-filled eyes stare back at him for a moment before she got herself from the car.

She began to walk up the driveway with purpose before she hesitated, turned back, and called out to Bob who was just about to climb back into the front seat. "Wait." Bob stopped what he was doing and looked in her direction. "Mr. Harris will be in need of a lift to a hotel." Callie offered a forced smile before she turned and continued toward the door.

He waited until she was through the threshold before he returned into the car and looked to his partner. "So what do we do about our little blonde problem back at the nightclub?"

Tom drummed his fingers against the wheel in thought. "Do we need to do or say anything? It didn't look like there was any recognition between them."

"No, there wasn't, was there? Maybe we should keep this between us. No need to bring it up. It will only cause him to deviate from the plan." Bob glanced back at the house.

Tom began to laugh. "She really is angry this time. Fifty bucks says she makes him cry!"

* * *

Reaching the door, Callie placed her left hand against the panel. Red lights under her fingertips and wrist changed to green and then her door slid open without a noise.

"Welcome home, Ms. Torres." The soft robotic feminine voice filled the open-plan living space. The lighting and room's temperature adjusted to Callie's pre-set specifications and low music began to play soothingly in the background.

"Mavis, could you tell me where Mr. Harris is?" Callie spoke calmly as she placed her bag and jacket away.

"Certainly. Mr. Harris is currently in the master bedroom restroom taking a shower. Would you like me to tell him you are home?"

"No!" Callie shouted into the air. "Don't tell him. Could you just turn the hot water off, Mavis? Thank you." Callie smiled as she made her way to her went straight for her walk-in wardrobe and began to pull his clothes from hangers, haphazardly throwing them onto the large bed.

The loud painful squeal from the bathroom lightened her mood, but only slightly as she heard the water turn off and knew that the impending fight would begin. Callie knew she had to stay strong.

The door swung open to reveal the tall graying man, water dripping down his bare chest, goose bumps covering his skin. His eyes showed shock as he witnessed the way Callie was throwing his belongings into a duffel bag.

"Callie. What the hell?"

She stopped momentarily to look him straight in the eye, her features harsh and angry. "How did you know where I was?"

"Baby, I was just worried about you." Grant adjusted the towel at his waist, making sure it wouldn't fall as he began to cautiously move toward her. His wet feet caused a slapping noise against the tile as he moved. He had been on the receiving end of Callie's temper a few times in the past, so he kept his voice low and timid, knowing that the tone of his voice could send her into a full tempered rant. "I tried calling and it just kept going into your voicemail message."

"Yes, believe it or not, that's what happens when the phone is switched off." Callie slammed some more of his stuff into the bag. "You haven't answered my question. How did you…" she saw the way he shifted on his feet and how he couldn't maintain eye contact. "You used Hyperion, didn't you?"

"I was worried…"

"Bullshit!" Callie moved toward him and Grant found himself confronted by the angry woman who thrust a wrinkled shirt and pants at his chest. "You shouldn't have access to that, Grant. Are you trying to get arrested? It's Hyperion that keeps the city safe and running smoothly. It's not your personal babysitting service."

"Doug down at the precinct owed me a favor and I was just worried about you. Of course I don't have access to the system. I just asked him to tell me where the last place you were tagged at was." He stood watching her continuing to gather his belongings from the bedside table and throw them into the now-filled bag. "I was wrong to do it, but you had to go and switch off your phone."

"Excuse me!" Callie stopped in her tracks and spun around. She watched Grant's face contort as he knew he'd raised his voice, and tried to turn the situation around. "I can't do this anymore. I'm not happy. You want to control me and that is _not_ happening anymore." Lifting her left hand, she slid her engagement ring off her finger and walked toward him, calmly placing the large diamond ring in his hand. Stepping back slightly as the man looked at the delicate content of his palm in shock, she lifted the bag and strode past him out of her room.

By the time Grant caught up with her, she was just walking out of the apartment. He had hastily put his clothing on to run after her, his wet feet making his pursuit treacherous as he slid on the ceramic tiles. He clumsily came to a stop in front of her, blocking her from getting to the car.

"Callie, please. I love you."

"See, that's the thing. Truthfully, I don't love you." And with that, Callie physically felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I'll get someone to bring the rest of your stuff to you tomorrow." She turned away from him and went back into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

Grant stood shocked before he made his way back to the door and waved his wrist at the sensor. Nothing but red lights. Callie had already wiped his authorization to gain access to the apartment. Angrily, he began hitting the door a few times before Mavis's voice could be heard over the ruckus.

"You are trespassing. If you do not cease and retreat, I will be forced to call the authorities and debilitate and contain you until they arrive."

Grant continued to beat his fist against the door until he felt the strong hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, Sir. We have been ordered to accompany you from Ms. Torres' residence." Tom offered him a small smile before he patted his hand against his back in a comforting manner. "You never know, sir. Maybe she just needs to sleep on it and will forget this fight by the morning." Tom smiled knowingly.

"You know what, Tom? You may just be right." He smirked as he allowed Tom to direct him to the car and opened the door for him to enter.

"That's five times." His softly spoken words whispered from the side of his mouth as he got into the vehicle. He tried to get the attention of his partner, who was trying to subtly look in the rear-view mirror at their boss in the backseat.

"Five what, Tom?" Grant's voice was full of annoyance as he didn't even look up from his phone, furiously swiping at the screen as Callie decline his call once again.

Tom looked embarrassed momentarily, the blush completely strange looking on someone so severe-looking. Bob chuckled at his partner's uncomfortableness and decided it was best to save him. "Sir, in six months, that's the fifth time she's split up with you. Do you not think she's just become a distraction?"

"Maybe." Grant rubbed his chin before he looked at his phone once again. The smiling picture of Callie illuminating it. "She still doesn't remember what happened that night. Her memory is holding, so …" He sighed as he shook his head and watched the screen fade to black before he lifted up his tablet. "One more try."

Bob and Tom looked at each other, both having the same look of resignation, before Tom put the car into drive and began the short journey to their boss's standing reservation at the local hotel. The hotel room where he had been frequenting a lot since their move here six months before.

"I saw your work on the news earlier." Grant spoke after a few minutes of silence. "Are the police going to find the evidence we need them to find?"

"Things have been set in motion. You don't need to worry about that, Sir," Bob calmly stated.

Grant smiled as he watched his tablet intently. Swiping the screen, he expanded the building plans to zoom in to see the red dot he'd been following finally still. Tapping the red dot on the screen brought up an information box. His smile intensified as he looked at Callie's statistics. "Her heart rate is calming. She'll be in a deep sleep soon. We're not going to the hotel. Get me to Shepherd quickly before I lose my window." Looking out of the window into the dark, the soft glow from the street lamps above highlighted a couple waiting on the sidewalk. As they slowed to a stop at the lights he watched the couple huddled together under the protection of an umbrella as the rain began its onslaught once again. The weather didn't seem to bother them, they looked happy together. He wanted that. "Everything will be back to normal tomorrow."

* * *

After locking Grant out, Callie turned and went straight to her office and pulled open her monitor. Pressing her hand onto the screen for a few seconds, she took a seat while the protection software confirmed it was her prints. The system booted up and asked for her to display her wrist, which she did also.

"Mavis, could you get Stephanie Edwards for me?"

"Certainly, Ms. Torres."

Callie rolled her eyes and opened up Mavis's file and began changing some of the codes on the endless screen of digits. "I swear to God I've changed this before."

"Hello, Ms. Torres?" Stephanie's voice hesitantly filled the room.

"Edwards, I need you to check Hyperion for any unauthorized access."

"I can assure you that no one can break into my system without me giving them access…just let me get to the computer." Callie could hear Stephanie's fingers furiously pounding across her keys. "There has been no unauthorized use."

"Anyone at the precinct use it to find out where I was tonight?" Callie was skeptical about the information Grant gave her. Unauthorized use of Hyperion was a mandatory prison sentence. Not even Grant had that much of a favor over someone.

"Just give me a moment." Her fingers quickly clicked at the keys. "Out of the three operators only one is working tonight and there was no search for you."

"Could someone be in there without you knowing? You're constantly logged into it, aren't you? Could someone have hacked your system and got in from there?"

"I'm actually hurt you think I can be hacked!" Callie could hear the hint of amusement in the woman's voice. "I'm the ghost in the machine. The Zeus of hackers. The only way someone gets in that system is if I let them. So no, Ms. Torres, the system has not been hacked. Could you imagine it?" she scoffed.

"Yes, Stephanie, I can imagine it. That would be why I'm asking you. Being able to know everything about someone, financial details, track their whereabouts. It's why I had mixed emotions about it when you and my father started upgrading it." Callie tried to keep her tone level. She didn't want to start a fight with the woman whom she genuinely liked and would always give her some slack when it came to her mood. Being on call twenty four hours a day didn't sound like a walk in the park but Stephanie didn't trust anyone with her baby. She was sure of herself, a little cocky, but in her world, she needed it.

"It's what the Federation needed. Crime is down ninety percent. It's why we have more and more people defecting to us. It allows us the safety we need in our society."

"In the right hands, yes."

"I don't think I like how this conversation is going, Ms. Torres. Are you saying I'm the wrong …"

"No. No, Steph, not what I was meaning. I'm just…" Callie thought about telling her about Grant, but decided not to bring her into her personal drama. "Paranoid, I guess. Look Steph, I need two favors."

"Sure?"

"First, keep an eye out for anything suspicious and second, please will you call me Callie?" Whenever people called her Ms. Torres, she thought of her mother and she really didn't want to be her mother or associated with the woman in any way.

"I'm uncomfortable with that. You're my boss."

"Okay, well as your boss, I'm telling you to call me Callie."

"Fine Ms… Callie, I'll contact you if I see any interference with the system. Good morning Callie." The line went dead. Callie looked at the clock, it was after two in the morning. She sucked on the inside of her mouth as she thought what to do next.

So she sat in silence, contemplating why Grant lied about using Hyperion to find out where she was. Maybe it was as simple as he didn't want to admit that he had her followed by his goons. Steph was right. She would know if someone had been in her system. Stephanie Edwards was to her own admission, Queen of Tech.

Her father's love of Greek mythology really did work its way into everything her father did. Hyperion was one of the Titans. He represented light, wisdom, and watchfulness. So he named the company's security system by this name. It watched and controlled everything until a hacker named Stephanie Edwards broke in and took over the system just to prove a point. She had gone for a job in the company and had been told she wasn't good enough. Instead of being arrested, Callie's dad had offered her a job to come up with an impenetrable system. Working closely with Carlos himself, they came up with a secure identity chip. Every member of staff had a microchip inserted in their wrist that held all their information. Soon, Carlos was in talks with the government and now five years after initial set up, everyone in the Federation had a chip and was instantly traceable. It was law. At birth, you are now fitted with the microchip.

"Callie, you have an incoming call from Mr. Harris." Mavis's voice broke Callie from her internal thoughts. She smiled when she realized her tinkering with Mavis's codes worked and she was calling her Callie again.

"Decline it, please." Standing up, Callie made her way to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass, she poured herself a small glass of cold water. "Mavis, can you adjust my schedule tomorrow and get me a meeting with Dr. Shepherd first thing?"

After putting the water bottle back into the fridge, she picked up the glass and made her way to her bedroom, placing it down on her bedside table. Slipping off her clothes, she began her nighttime routine.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from the shower, refreshed and very tired. Alcohol and her fight with Grant had taken a lot out of her. Come to think about it the last several hours had taken a lot out of her. Talking with Addison had opened her mind, showed her that who she had been was disappearing. The unknown woman, _her wife_ in her dream playing with her emotions. Then Tom and Bob showing up which lead to a very beautiful stranger kissing her… a woman, who she very much enjoyed kissing and whom she really wanted to kiss again. As she lowered herself onto her bed, she grabbed her phone and sent Addison a text message telling her friend she was alright. She sighed as she played with the business card that she had been given. Her fingers ran over each letter before she held it to her nose. The perfume she had been wearing still lightly coating the stationery.

Her text alert sounded and she opened it, instantly smiling when she read the contents.

'About freaking time… I was wondering where you'd got to. I want all the details tomorrow.'

"Dr. Shepherd was still working and answered my message. He will speak with you tomorrow, but he can't get out of the lab. You will need to go to him."

"Tell him that's perfect, and Mavis, could you shut everything down for the night, please?"

Callie made herself comfortable as she continued to hold the card in her hand, staring at the number. _It_ _'s too late to call, right?_ Picking up her phone once again, she began to type the number in and her finger hovered over the call button. Taking a deep breath, she finally hit the button and listened to the ring. She was just about to hang up when she heard her voice.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Arizona, um, this is Callie from the club earlier. I'm so sorry to call so late." Callie stuttered nervously as her stomach churned.

"Oh, you're all right. I was worried about you, and I had no way to contact you and check that you were all right. God, I don't even know your last name." Callie found herself smiling Arizona was speaking fast.

"Would you like to meet me for lunch tomorrow?" Callie blurted out.

"I would like that."

"Yeah?" Callie felt as though her heart was going to escape from her chest. "Do you know The Mirage near Torres Tech?"

"Yeah, that's the top restaurant in the city, you can't get a table in there at such short notice." Arizona laughed at the preposterous thought.

"Great. Meet me there at one?"

"Okay." Callie could hear Arizona was smiling into the phone before there was a shout from a female voice she couldn't make out. "I'm sorry, Callie, I have to go right now, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Arizona."

"Goodnight, Callie."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN** Hey to anyone still reading this. It was never my intention to take so long in having something to update. Work, family, friends all my excuses. Thanks to Alida for going through this, her work was cut out for her and she is awesome. Thanks to Donteatblue for being there to whine to when my block was at its worst. Thank you to you guys who messaged me with encouragement and letting me know you are enjoying this. It really means a lot.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

The air was thick with gray, pungent smoke. It danced as it swirled slowly around the two men, engulfing them in a mix of sham tobacco and marijuana as they sat on either side of the small kitchen table. A mechanical cigarette hung from his chapped lips, defying gravity as he concentrated on the hand in front of him. He hated the taste of this carbon-based replica shit, but it was better than the herbal, healthy crap that had become all the rage since a substitute was found. The marijuana helped ease the bitter taste. Taking a long draw, he held his breath, waiting for the burning sensation that never came. The feel of it attacking his lungs, coating them in tar, diabolic how he missed that. It did, at least, have a tenth of the taste of original tobacco, which allowed him the nostalgic memories that currently circled his mind of a time before the floods of the early 2020's. Extreme storms that had wiped tobacco and many other things from existence.

Two years the supplies had lasted. Toward the end, people were literally burning a month or two's wages for a packet of six smokes. He had been nineteen when he had his last real cigarette. Back then with the amount of self-harm, toxic shit he was putting in his body… cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol, he would have never guessed that at eighty one years old, he'd be still kicking it, never mind not looking or feeling a day over forty. Subconsciously, he looked at the watch on his wrist, but he didn't want to know the time. The screen showed that everything was acceptable, though his liver function was at eighty two percent. It was down two percent from last week. The chip that held all the information was implanted deep in the wrist, but the watch allowed them to gain access to the information the chip held. Maybe it was time to make an appointment. Company perks. So far, heart, lungs, and kidneys had been replaced with Torres cybernetics, but he was in good shape. His strict military background had kept him healthy and a little cosmetic surgery had kept him youthful looking. The old saying was true, you're only as young as the person you feel. They had celebrated his third wife's fortieth birthday four weeks before so he was definitely going with _feeling_ forty.

Finally exhaling, more smoke escaped from Tom's nose and added to the cloud above them. Bob took this moment to look up to see his opponent eyeing him, trying to keep his features neutral as he peered over his cards. Bob smirked when he saw it, that nervous little tell Tom had when he was bluffing.

Bob smiled as he threw his notes onto the already large pile in the centre of the table. "Call!" The cards got slammed onto the surface and he watched Tom drop his head in defeat. Bob chuckled as he began to collect the notes and started to count his winnings.

Laughter started to build, Bob stopped to look at his friend in confusion, Tom's shoulders bouncing as he looked up and smiled wickedly at him before giving a bad rendition of Bob's accent. "Royal Flush, _Mate_!"

"Wait a minute!" He paused to look at his friend in utter shock. "You complete bastard. You did that weird cheek tensing thing you do when you're bluffing." Tom continued to laugh at the devastation on Bob's face. He never lost. "Who told you?"

"That would be someone who got pissed off with you taking all my earnings."

"I knew I didn't like the new missus!" His teasing laughter was interrupted by an eruption of sound coming from the other room. The noise drew their gaze. They stopped what they were doing to watch as the wall shuddered and a picture frame that had been hanging up moments before crashed to the ground. Glass shattered and splayed into the air as it hit the tiled kitchen floor. Tom looked at Bob with a grin. They guessed that something had been thrown against the wall. Their boss was known for his short fuse.

"Hope that wasn't Shepherd!" Tom shook his head as he began to clear away his cards, knowing that their game was most definitely finished. It was only a matter of time before he appeared.

Seconds later, the door crashed open, face red with anger, Grant came roaring through the threshold. "That fucking bitch!" The animalistic growl could be heard in his voice as Tom and Bob looked at each other. A pang of fear crossed their minds when they remembered that they hadn't come clean about running into the blonde. Bob was just about to make their excuses when Grant cut him off, stepping right into his personal space. Bob could feel the anger radiating from the other man's body. He was furious. "I want that red-headed harpy gone. She's been turning Callie against me ever since we got here."

"Oh, you're talking about Ms. Montgomery?" Bob smirked at Tom, who released the breath he'd been holding. "We can make that happen, sir."

Grant stepped away from Bob and closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. "Something has gone wrong. The Anamnesis chip has malfunctioned and it's not remotely accepting the code. Therefore the ability to change what happened tonight has been lost unless we bring Callie to Shepherd. We were only able to upload everything that happened tonight. Shepherd is going through it now and will let me know if there was anything of interest, but I couldn't listen to that woman any longer. Fucking bitch." Grant slowly made his way over to the cabinet in the corner and removed a bottle of whiskey from it and a glass."Get rid of Addison." He poured a generous measure and gulped it down before filling his glass once again. "There is no way to get to Callie tonight. Mavis will have the apartment on lockdown. You need to get her as soon as you can tomorrow morning. Make sure it's one of you that's there to collect her early. You know Callie likes to sleep in, but just make sure you're there by eight. The less people that know about our relationship hiccup, the better. I don't need the rest of the board knowing, I can't lose backing. Bring her here and Shepherd will be able to amend what Callie _thought_ happened tonight."

"Shepherd's payment?" Tom picked up the small vial from the worktop. "Do you want me to give it in?" Tom watched as Grant nodded and downed the last of his drink. "Bob, take Mr. Harris down to the car. I'll follow in a moment."

The small vial rolled across the desk. Six mini tablets rattled against the glass as it moved before coming to a stop against the computer's mouse. Long fingers reached out and gently tapped the glass with ragged, bitten down fingertips quickly counting the contents. "Is that all?"

"I think that's more than you should get considering your chip isn't performing to the heights you told us it would. Tut tut...False advertising, Shepherd." Tom crossed his arms and stood straighter, towering above with authority. However, his demeanor softened when he saw Callie's memories from the nightclub come to life on Shepherd's computer screen. Then he saw the blonde hair and he felt a knot of dread in the pit of his stomach when he saw the extent of Callie and Arizona's interaction that night.

"I think another couple of vials are in order for me to forget who Torres is sucking face with, buddy." Shepherd spun in her chair, a smug grin reaching her eyes. "Helloooooo, Arizona… The phoenix has risen from its ashes. Weren't you and the other GI Joe supposed to take care of that or am I looking at a ghost?" Leaning back in her chair, she made herself comfortable and motioned for Tom to pay up.

Reluctantly, Tom shoved his hand deep into his pocket and retrieved two more vials. "Just make sure…" he never got to finish his threat when he watched as Shepherd deleted the incriminating evidence.

"Whoops… see now. That never happened. Well, visual proof of it anyway. Now, why don't you go back to jacking off Harris or whatever else it is you do for him?" She knew exactly the kind of business he did for Mr. Harris. Standing up, she began to shove him out of the room. The height difference was a good couple of feet, but she didn't back down. She always could give as good as she got, the screw up, black sheep of her perfect family.

For years, she tried to be what everyone expected her to be, but she could never live up to the family name. Amelia Shepherd didn't give a shit anymore what people thought of her… or so she told herself anyway. It wasn't true; she did care. It was why she hid in the high, but all that mattered to her right now was getting him to leave, so she could get shitfaced on Oxy.

"If you tell Harris that I knew about Robbins being in the city, I'll make sure it's not an overdose that kills you… you'll feel every second of it." Tom's features were menacing as he left her in the room, alone with the threat and her only escape from the reality she'd created.

"It's not my fucking chip!" Angrily, she shouted at the closing front door in a last act of defiance. Not that he'd care. No one cared. She wasn't the Shepherd that everyone respected… loved. Jealousy and her pride. That's what got her into this situation. Stealing her brother's research to stop Harris from telling Derek that she was a grade A screw up and addict had just gone and proved that she was a grade A asshole.

* * *

" **Good Morning. The time is 6:45 A.M. and it's going to be a beautiful day in the Capital. For all of you who have been living under a rock and haven't realized that today is Remembrance Day, the journey into Polis will be slightly longer due to the added traffic over the viaducts from the other quadrants..."** Callie scrunched her face at the volume of the news reader's voice. He was far too perky this morning.

She sat drinking her coffee at the kitchen island while swiping through the local news on her tablet. A bowl of cereal was sitting untouched, the milk causing the contents to become soggy. The morning news had just begun and Mavis had it on the large screen ready for Callie as she did every morning, even though it was a lot earlier than Callie normally showed face.

She was reading about the deaths she had heard about the night before when she thought it was about her father. Two bodies had been found with their cybernetic organs removed and the word 'unworthy' written in their own blood had been found at the scene. Since their company had given people the chance to extend their life expectancy, a group of extremists that had been nicknamed The Division by the media had been stirring up trouble. It had started with just protests outside Torres Tech Hospitals, then it moved onto vandalism of their premises. Rumor had it that there was some internal fight amongst the group and the leader had been replaced. It did explain the escalation from vandalism to murder. They argued that her father was playing God and they really liked telling everyone that they didn't like that.

" **The President will be making his memorial speech for the first time on the grounds of the White House with the Western Federation of Euro Britain's President as his guest…"** Callie glanced up to see the video footage of the before and after pictures of the White House. The storm footage replayed the carnage once again, mother nature so violent as it tore its way across the landscape and changed it forever, leaving many areas inaccessible. The rubble had been cleared out finally and the standing parts of the building made safe once again. It had been decided that even though it would never be habitable again, they wanted to save as much of it as they could. It was a symbol of the old United States of America.

Taking a spoonful of her mushy breakfast, her head finally flicked into gear. "Shit!" Callie dropped the spoon back into the bowl and started to mumble through her food, soggy liquid escaping for her mouth as she did. "Mavis, I need you to call Sam at The Mirage and tell her I need my table for one o'clock this afternoon. Tell her I will have company with me."

"Certainly, _Ms_. _Torres_."

Callie closed her eyes and growled. "You find this funny, don't you, Mavis?" She did change the code last night… Didn't she?

"I'm just a computer program, Ms. Torres, I don't do funny."

"You'll be a freaking comedian if you keep this up." Mavis was so much more than just a computer program. She was top-of-the-range artificial intelligence, one of a kind. She ran Callie's apartment, her mother and father's home, and all Torres Tech buildings.

"Mr. Warren has just pulled up to the front gate for you. Dr. Shepherd has just logged back into the laboratory. I've instructed Mr. Warren to drive and accompany you to the office today."

"Thank you, Mavis." Callie quickly got up from the kitchen island and retrieved her personal items before she made her way to the door. She stopped momentarily at the heavy steel front door as she heard Mavis release all the locks. As it opened, she was met with a rush of bright morning light and the fresh smell of the new day. Ben's smiling face greeted her as the brightness adjusted in her eyes.

"Good morning, Callie." Ben Warren was Callie's friend, Miranda's, husband. She trusted him more than those two goons her mother and Grant kept assigning to her. "Let's get you to the office, shall we? The route is quiet just now. It's due to start getting busier after seven-thirty." Taking her briefcase from her, he directed her toward the car. Callie followed as she heard her door close over and the locks connect.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** A huge thank you to Alida for going through this and correcting my hundreds of mistakes. I have to admit the show killed any creative thoughts in my head. I really want to finish this. Anyone who has written will know the frustration of knowing what you have in your head doesn't always willingly leave. the amount of time I have sat in front of a blank sheet watching the blinking cursor. Thank you to Zoe for telling me to get back at it and not to give up. Thank you Blue, who even with everything going on in her life still encourages me and is awesome. Everyone that still wants to read this and looks out for it is awesome. Comments are always appreciated. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Seriously Ben! This is ludicrous. There is absolutely no need to follow me. See there's no one in the corridor? You should get back to my father's side." Even as she spoke, Callie reluctantly followed the man as he escorted her slowly down the corridor toward the private elevator to her office.

"New assignment." His tone was assertive, but she could still hear that he had that wide smile of his plastered across his face. "I was told to take you up to your office and to stick with you. So that's what I'm going to do." Ben pressed the button on the wall panel. When prompted, he held his wrist against the sensor until the light switched to green and then turned triumphantly, that damn smile reaching his eyes. It quickly morphed into a smug grin as he watched her face fall in realization.

As a safety precaution, access to Callie's office was only permitted by a select few, so she knew that her father meant business if Ben was allowed up. Bob and Tom were never given access into the elevator and would only ever escort her to the elevator doors, their chips not allowing them any further. Her father, mother, Grant, and her personal assistant were the only ones ever allowed in the elevator. Business meetings were held in a special secure room.

It was a very effective safety mechanism in any Torres Tech building, given that no one without a chip could even get past the tolls at the viaducts into the city. When anyone without the proper clearance was in any given area, the Anamnesis chip in their arm would send out an electrical pulse throughout the nervous system, rendering them inactive until security could contain and assess the situation. Mavis would have already removed Grant's permission, so she was relieved about that.

"From what Miranda told me, I'm surprised I wasn't called in sooner?" he gloated.

"You know about the stalker?" She huffed. "Of course you do. Pillow talk?" Callie shook her head in disbelief. Of course Miranda told her husband what had happened. She wasn't sure if she was annoyed more because she felt they were making a mountain out of a molehill. It was still her opinion that the man didn't seem like a threat. His eyes, they seemed kind, and there was a familiar feeling about him, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.

Or was it because Miranda had been gossiping? The woman who swore blind she never gossiped had the biggest mouth in the room. "That was confidential. It's not public knowledge and you're my father's bodyguard, not mine."

"Well it's my job now. You can thank your father and the Chief. My new orders came through this morning. You needed better security and I am the best. You're stuck with me. So let me do my job, because I really don't want to be fired and I really don't like sleeping on the sofa." Ben chuckled as the ding from the elevator alerted them to its arrival. When the doors opened, Callie caught Ben glancing in before he motioned for her to enter. He chuckled when he caught her roll her eyes. "Hey, don't hate. You would be friends with the Chief of Security."

"Fine." Callie huffed and entered, positioning herself with her back against the elevator wall as she pulled her phone from her pocket. Quickly, she checked her calendar and put her phone back into her dress-suit pants. "I just need to grab some files from my desk and then I have an appointment with Dr. Shepherd." Pushing herself from the wall as the door opened, she was stopped as Ben moved quickly, placing himself in front of her, stalling her from leaving before he could have a look. "Ben! Suzie has a day off and no one nefarious can get up here…"

A crashing sound coming from her office interrupted her defense and Callie's eyes went wide with confusion. Slowly reaching for his weapon, he motioned for Callie to stay where she was and carefully walked into the reception area, the lush carpeted floor buffering his footsteps as he travelled the short distance to Callie's office door. Not listening to Ben's instructions, she cautiously followed.

Readying himself, he pushed the door open, his firearm trained on the intruder, but he was met with a high shrill of, "Oh, my God!"

"Mom?" Callie questioned as she stepped out from behind Ben's protective frame and looked at the smashed vase on the office's hardwood floor. The older woman stopped dead, a surprised expression appearing within seconds. "What are you doing here, Mother?"

Lucia Torres stood, frozen, looking like potential road kill with her hands still in Callie's desk drawers. "Darling. What? I mean…" Faster than a switch connecting, her demeanor changed. She straightened, her body language returned to that which Callie was accustom to. Forcing a smile, she pulled a pen from the open drawer and waved it in the air as if that was enough of an answer. "Wow, dear. You managed to get out of your bed at a respectable time like the rest of us."

Callie rolled her eyes at her mother's snide comment. "What are you doing in my office?" She reiterated.

"I was just going to leave you a message since you never seem to answer any of my correspondence nowadays." Lucia looked at her wristwatch and placed the pen down on the desk. "Oh dear, 7.30 am? I have a meeting that I really must get to." Rounding the large desk, she picked up her purse from the opposing chair and made her way toward her daughter, stopping briefly to ghost a kiss against her cheek. Dumbfounded, Callie watched as her mother disappeared behind the closing doors.

"Well, that was weird." Ben's voice broke Callie's stare.

Callie turned and raised her eyebrow at Ben's comment. "You're telling me. That's the first time I've seen her since dad took unwell… Hmm..." Callie had made her way over to her desk. "She hasn't left the note she said she was writing and she never did tell me what she was doing. Deflecting as normal."

"Well, she did look unusually flustered, I suppose. I did point a gun at her." he chuckled. "Maybe I will be looking for a new job."

"True, she did look frazzled. I wouldn't worry about being fired. Dad will probably give you a raise." Callie chuckled as she scanned over her desk to detect if anything looked out of place. Not noticing anything, she pulled the files she needed from her desk and went to close the drawer, but it was jammed. "Stupid thing!" She gave the handle a sharp tug and then pushed hard. Finally, it slid shut, but she felt something fall against her foot.

"I don't think that's mine?" Kneeling down, she retrieved the flash drive on the floor and inspected it. Nothing was visible to identify it as one of hers. All her flash drives had her initials on the underside.

"Maybe it's your mother's?" Ben queried.

"It wasn't on the desk or did it come out of the drawer? It must have come from the underside, because something hit my foot and that's the only thing on the floor." Callie's phone began to vibrate. Cancelling the alarm, she looked up at Ben. "That's my five-minute reminder. I need to get to Shepherd's lab. I'll see what this thing is later." Taking one final look at the item in her hand, she placed the drive in her pocket and smiled at Ben as she passed him. "Right. Mr. Warren, since I can't get rid of you would you mind escorting me to the labs? I need to be there before eight."

* * *

7:47am.

He glanced down at the time as he came to a stop when he reached the gate. Yawning, he pressed the button for the window to lower. It had been a long night, and to be honest, he was pissed that he got left to deal with Callie this morning. Tom definitely got the better morning assignment. His came with a gag and a high dose of an incapacitating agent. She'd at least be quiet and compliant for hours. Reaching his arm out of the window, he placed his wrist at the sensor.

Nothing.

"Fuck off!" Bob shouted, not having the patience for this. He was tired. He tried another few times, his temper growing with each failed attempt. He couldn't even get Mavis to answer his request to open the gates. Shifting himself in his seat, he pulled his phone from his pocket, and with a heavy touch, his finger tapped into his Torres Tech roster. With every attempt to get into Callie's information, he was met with an access denied message emblazoned across his screen. Exiting out, he opened his contact list. His finger hovered over Grant's name. "Fuck!" He blew the expletive out as his digit made contact with the screen, knowing this conversation wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Boss. I've been locked out of Callie's planner. I have no idea if she's still in the apartment or if she's at the office already. What do you want me to do?" Bob cringed as he spoke. He could hear Grant take a breath. Grant didn't speak, but Bob could hear his movement and then the sound of typing before a low, non humored laugh escaped his throat. The reverb from his earpiece tickled his inner ear.

"I've lost my access to Hyperion." Bob clenched his eyes tightly and pinched his brow as the sound of something smashing so loudly sent a pain right behind his eyes. "Damn it! Call your problem into Security and report it as a technology fault. You need to find out where Callie is and who she's talking to." The line disconnected and Bob pulled up Security's secure line. If she was at the office, they would at least be able to find her. Everyone was tracked in the building.

"Bailey, it's O'Neil." Bob softened his voice, trying to sound less pissed off when he heard it was she who answered. Of course the only person in security that he couldn't bully would be the one to answer. "I was supposed to be picking Ms. Torres up from her apartment this morning, but I'm having some technology problems. My access is being denied. Would you be able to tell me if someone else has already picked her up?"

"Let me see." Bob heard an annoyingly loud tapping in his ear. Bailey always hit her pen against the base of the phone. He was sure she did it to only him, knowing that he'd have his ear piece in. She had told him on many occasions to his face that she didn't like him. "The system shows Ms. Torres got to her office around ten minutes ago and has not left yet. Someone else doing your job, O'Neil?" she chuckled.

He did his best to hold in the growl as he clenched his fist and came up with a lie on the spot. One of his strong points. "Not a laughing matter, I can assure you. You need to send someone to wait outside her office and make sure she doesn't leave. We got Intel this morning that The Division are planning something and you know it can't happen in the building, so it's going to be before or when she leaves. It's a credible threat."

Her sense of humor dissipated instantly. "I'll send a team down. You better get a move on if you want to get here anytime today, the viaducts are already crammed."

"On my way," he sneered.

* * *

Hearing a knock, Derek stopped what he was doing to look toward the door. "Come in." Slowly the door opened and the suited man walked in. "Mr. Warren?"

"Dr. Shepherd." Ben gave a curt nod as a hello and stepped back out of the room, allowing Callie to enter.

"Oh, good morning. I was wondering why your father's man was here. Thought I was in trouble." He laughed, the melodically sweet sound dripping with charm. "What can I do for you?" Derek stopped what he was doing to welcome the younger woman with that dazzling smile that appealed to everyone.

"It appears I needed a better babysitter!" Callie teased and sent her own alluring smile back at the handsome man. He was hot, she couldn't deny that. It was his personality that was a total turnoff. He thought he was the center of the universe. He was definitely the kind of guy who didn't get to hear the word "no" a lot. But he was definitely pleasant to look at.

His black, yet silvering hair sat meticulously in place. He probably spent more time styling it than she did hers. Sometimes, she just really wanted to ruffle it up just to fuck with it when his ego took over the room. He was a good guy though and a superstar neurologist. Her father loved him like the son he never had, some would say. And the Anamnesis chip was his baby and he was hopefully the one person who would have answers to what the fuck was going on with her head.

"I'm hoping you will be able to help me. I'm having dreams. They feel so real, but they can't be real. I'm just worried, I suppose. When things get weird like that, I just remember what happened to that girl Izzie down in personnel. She was seeing things and that ended up being a brain tumor … so obviously, I have a brain tumor." Callie stood shaking her head, laughing at her own words, before she grew serious. "It _can't_ be a brain tumor, can it?"

"There would be other symptoms, so I doubt it's serious, Callie." Derek directed Callie to a seat in the back corner of his lab. "Have you checked your medical stats? All the data in your chip would have flagged up any issues if there were any."

"Yeah, everything is in the green." Callie held out her wrist for Derek to scan. Within seconds, the large screen was filled with a list of options. Personal details, financial, medical. Moving closer to the touch screen, Derek tapped on medical. The next screen popped up with basic medical information, things like medications she was on or allergic to for the use of first responders. He tapped the detailed medical option and it asked him to scan his own wrist to make sure he had the necessary clearance. Statistics filled the screen and Derek meticulously combed through all the information before him.

"Hmmm…" Callie looked up anxiously as the noise escaped his lips. He placed his hand on her shoulder as a sign of comfort. "It's nothing bad. It's just a little strange. That's all. Elevated neuronal activity here…" Derek pointed to the graph before pointing out another few spikes. "Here, also." Absentmindedly, he continued on as he looked at the information. "With everything you've had to deal with recently, it wouldn't surprise me if it had an effect on you subconsciously. I'm sorry about what happened by the way. How have you been? Last time I saw you, we never really got to talk." Callie watched the sympathy in his eyes. She looked at him slightly confused before it clicked to what he was talking about.

"Oh, I've been fine. Just worrying about him. But you know my dad. He'll be fine. I know I've had added pressure since his heart attack, but I'm sure it's not this that's causing the dreams. Nope, nothing to do with my dad, trust me!" Callie began to laugh nervously. There was no way she was telling Derek about her sex dreams.

Derek watched Callie laugh maniacally. Her reaction made him internally curse himself. Everyone was under strict orders not to mention anything about the previous Halloween's events. It had messed Callie up mentally and Mrs. Torres had made it very clear to everyone it was a fireable offense to disclose any information to her daughter.

He wasn't her doctor, but he had been told the trauma of it all had been blocked from her mind and it was for the best and health reasons that it was never to be mentioned. He found it funny at the time that he was developing a way to erase bad memories and there was Callie deleting it herself. But he was intrigued. "So was the dream violent?" He asked carefully, knowing enough about the event.

"Yeah, home invasion…" Callie thought carefully about how much she wanted to disclose to Derek. He was a good guy, but he worked for her father and any sign of her having a mental break down and she'd never be allowed out her apartment again. "Lots of blood. It wasn't mine though. It was everywhere."

"Hmm." Maybe Callie's brain wasn't as good at erasing the events as they had thought. He decided that until he had her scans back, he wouldn't mention anything. "While I have you here, I'll take a scan. I doubt it's anything and we're pretty swamped with the Anamnesis program launch so soon, but I'll get you the results by the end of the day. The brain is a mysterious creature. The scan will take about 30 minutes. Is that okay?" With Callie's nod of approval, Derek began to move equipment around to get the scanner above Callie's seat.

"So while I'm here, could I pick your brain about the program? I'm a little worried…" Callie was cut off as Derek shot his hand up into the air, gesturing for her to still.

"Sorry. You'll need to be still and no talking at the moment. Once it's complete, I'll answer any question you have." Once she settled and made herself comfortable, he started the machine.

* * *

Grant paced across his office floor, holding his arm as the nerves around his chip still gave off a slight sting. As soon as he found out Callie was already in the building, he'd attempted to get up to her office, which resulting in him incapacitated on the floor of the elevator twitching as Miranda Bailey laughed over him, enjoying every second of it. When asked, Mavis informed Bailey that Callie was on a conference call and was indisposed for the rest of the day, and that Grant had been removed from Callie's accepted personnel.

Now he was nervous because he couldn't find out who she was taking to, never mind the fact he didn't know what she was talking about. His whole plan was about to burn up and would take him with it. And Miranda Bailey knew Callie had removed his access to her office.

Picking up his phone, he called Tom. "Sir. What do you need?"

"Lucia didn't find the flash drive in Callie's office. We can't get to Callie. Mavis has her locked up tight in her office…"

Tom could hear the panic in his boss's voice. "Sir, I spoke with Bob. He had to come up with a reason to get Bailey to send a team to stop Callie leaving the office. It's created a unique opening to take care of, well three problems now. But you need to let Callie go."

"I'm listening."

"By taking out both Carlos and Callie, Lucia gets control of the company, right? Due to Lucia's transgression that we took care of, she will do anything asked to keep that in the dark. It will actually be easier than the boardroom coup you were planning and as for controlling Callie, she's too much of a hard head. We begin with them."

After a few moments of reflective silence, Tom finally got his answer. One that he was happy about.

"She was never really mine anyway, was she?" Defeated, Grant sighed. "Do what you need to."


	7. Chapter 7

For any one still interested in this. Thanks to Alida for going through this an adding all those pesky punctuation I always forget. Seriously thought I was getting better but alas. Thanks also to Blue for reading through it and tweaking it even when she had so much on. Thanks to you who are taking the time to tell me what you think. Its greatly appreciated. Have a lovely weekend.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"I was told that I had one hundred percent backing from the board?" Derek looked at her, confused. Callie shifted nervously in her seat at his clipped tone. "Stay perfectly still, please." After the machine sounded a whirring noise that lasted a matter of seconds, Derek quickly lifted the machine from above Callie's head. He saw her regard him with a contemplative eye. When he realized he'd snapped at his future boss, he softened his tone. "What is it that's troubling you?"

"It's a lot of power. I mean, what's to stop people from just erasing every bad thing they've ever done?" Callie paused for a moment, trying to think about what she was wanting to ask. "I mean, how does it even work?"

"Callie?" He watched her wrinkle her brow. "I went over this at the board meeting a few weeks back. I thought we cleared up your trepidation. You already backed it."

"Wait. What?"

"You brought it up at the last meeting and I explained everything in detail. The board and you already voted. The program goes live next week." Derek watched as Callie looked at him as though he was speaking a foreign language.

"I'm sorry, Derek." The confusion in her voice was etched across her face. "I can't remember. I thought the meeting was later this week? I can't remember anything about any meeting."

"It's okay. I'll look into this matter. I'll put a rush on the scans." Derek closed Callie's medical file. Turning around, he fixed his tie and lab coat before he rested his backside against the desk. Callie smiled as she watched him turn on his, 'I'm trying to get money out of you for a project' well-rehearsed manner that he had perfected over the years.

"I really don't understand what's going on." Callie closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well, this is what I explained to you at the meeting. Just so you can feel at ease with it." Reassuringly, he squeezed her shoulder. "The chip allows us to store your memories to file. You must understand that memories aren't absolute records. Each time you recall a memory, you reconstruct it. So, the memory of an event is only as good as your last recollection. The chip allows us to store the first recollection of it, in its truest form. As you've seen with the Alzheimer's trial, the earlier we get people storing their memories, the better. That's why we propose making this function available to everyone. No more lost memories,unless we want to We have the control now. My program allows us to go in and alter these recollections through code. For example, say you have a rape victim. We can go into that memory and take out or rebuild the scenario, and this goes those who suffer from PTSD, too. The only part of the Anamnesis Program which is available to the public will be the ability to upload that first recollection to the memory bank… corny I know. Wasn't my idea. However, to get a memory changed or removed, you must be referred here by your doctor, where only a handful of trained people will have the clearance to complete the memory clean. Amelia is training the selected technicians as we speak."

"So, you're expecting people to let you operate on their brain, risking damage, all to save some memories?"

"It's a minimally invasive procedure nowadays and all that's left is one small scar in your hairline at the top of your neck." Derek offered a soft smile. "Not remembering your life, your loved ones … that's no life."

Ben quietly entered the room. When the two didn't notice him, he coughed gently. "Callie? Sorry to interrupt, but we have to get back. The roster has you in a meeting in about an hour and the route back is pretty busy now."

Remembering that she had to meet Arizona, she hurriedly got up from her seat, trying not to show her excitement. "Thank you very much for your time, Derek. Please let me know as soon as you have the scans back." Callie straightened and collected her belongings as Derek smiled and gave her a wave as she exited.

As she reached Ben, she smiled sweetly at him. "Ben, my meeting is at The Mirage. I may have mistakenly put myself down as having meetings in my office all day, oops." Callie laughed as she passed. Ben shook his head, slightly annoyed. She wasn't going to make his job easy.

* * *

Arizona looked at her watch for what had been the sixth time in four minutes as she stood outside the imposing doorway of The Mirage. The large glass panels reflected the flustered mess she was. Was she too dressed up for a lunch date or was she not dressed up enough for the posh restaurant? She questioned herself again as she checked out her reflection in the one-way glass. She chuckled, hoping there wasn't some patron inside trying to eat their meal with her unintentionally staring at the them. She had never been there before so she had no idea how the establishment was set up.

The time was 12:42. She was currently having a discussion with herself on what was the correct protocol for a date. If she went in early, would that show her being too keen or was it rude to be late? Her internal conversation was cut short when she heard the door click open and then a soft clearing of a man's throat.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" Arizona looked up quickly to see a large man dressed in a suit standing at the door, holding it open. "Can I help you? Do you have a reservation?"

"Um, sorry. Of course. I'm meeting someone here at one." Arizona nervously spoke. Catching a glimpse of his identification, she noted that he was security. Of course a place like this had security. He'd probably been sent out there to chase away the crazy woman who'd been pacing around the front of the building for the last ten minutes, no doubt scaring the guests.

"Would you like to come in? It's pretty cold and there is rain due soon." The man smiled as he stepped aside, but held the door open, waiting for Arizona to come in. "So, what name is the reservation under?"

Arizona paused as she got to the threshold and looked at the man. "Um, I actually don't know her last name." Arizona suddenly became nervous as the man looked at her suspiciously, causing her to blurt out, "Her name is Callie and I'm supposed to meet her here at one, which is preposterous now that I actually think about it because she only asked me last night and who can get a table here at such short notice?" She laughed nervously. "Do you think I'm the butt of someone's joke? She didn't give me her last name. Who does that? And _who_ accepts to go on a date with someone she only met and kissed the night before!" Arizona's eyes widened when she realized she'd just rambled at the poor man, who was looking quite amused by the whole thing.

"Ma'am, I don't think you're the butt of the joke. Let me direct you to Ms. Callie's table. And just for your own sanity, she never tells anyone her last name." Arizona followed the man through the busy restaurant. Gentle music played in the background while wine glasses clinked and cutlery tapped against china. The mix of aromas was extraordinary. Everything smelled so good. She hadn't felt hungry up until that moment. The excitement of seeing Callie again had bubbled. All morning, it had been a rollercoaster ride her stomach had endured, which suppressed her appetite. "Just up those stairs and through the curtain. Ms. Callie isn't here yet, but she won't be long. She's never late. I'll send your waiter up in a few moments. Instructions were left for you to pick the wine."

Arizona looked up toward the curtained area. It was about ten steps up which she took carefully, glad she'd decided to go for a pantsuit and blouse rather than a dress. Opening the curtain, she saw a large area with one table along one wall with very comfortable looking seating. Opposite the seating, large windows looked out onto the center of Polis. The view was spectacular. You could just make out the quadrant islands in the distance. The viaducts looked blocked with traffic and she was glad that she may not have to travel them anymore.

"It's a beautiful view, isn't it?" Arizona startled, but resisted the urge to turn and see the woman she'd been thinking about all night. _"Play it cool,"_ repeated in her head. "It's the second-best view in the Capital." Arizona kept her eyes on the cityscape before her, biting down the excitement when she felt Callie so close behind her.

"Second best, really?" Turning, she was met with a stunningly beautiful smile, completely arresting. Her stomach flipped as she felt a strange moment of dejà vu. Like a reflex, she reached for the other woman and gently took Callie's lips against hers. Her hands, of their own accord, found themselves tangled in the other woman's hair. After a few moments, her hands made their way down to take Callie's hands in hers and they finally broke their kiss, staring into each other's eyes.

"So, where's the best view then?" She queried. Her tone playful, flirty, enjoying the connection. She continued to take in the beauty in front of her. The view out the window was indeed second best. Now out from under the club's smoky disco lights, soft dark tousled locks that had a hint of cherry red through it when the light hit it and smelled like... She had no idea what that scent was, but it was heaven. She could feel her heartbeat intensify.

"That would be my office. Maybe I'll take you up there. It will take your breath away." Callie smiled back, her thumbs rubbing soothingly against the delicate hands in her grasp.

"Mm, you might have already done that," Arizona flirted

"Excuse me." The awkward voice reluctantly spoke, breaking their trance. "Should I come back in a moment, Callie?"

Callie turned to see Sam, who looked uncharacteristically awkward. "No Sam, it's okay. Shall we?" Callie motioned for Arizona to take a seat. Sam placed the lunch menus on the table, smiled at Callie, and held up her hand, indicating she'd give them five minutes to look at the menu.

"So, do you make a habit of kissing strangers?" Callie smirked playfully over her menu.

"Well last night, I saw someone in trouble and did the first thing that came to mind." Arizona countered. "And that time, just now. I don't know why. It just felt like the right thing to do. Weird, huh?" She chuckled nervously.

"My knight in shining armor." Callie teased. "You beat me to the kiss. That's what I wanted to do. How about the next time we kiss, we aren't strangers anymore?"

"I'd really like that." Arizona smiled.

Sam entered the room again, a bottle of wine in hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb again, but the wine hadn't been ordered yet, so I went ahead and picked out a very delicious tasting white based on your likings, Ms. Callie." Turning confidently, she gave Arizona a warm smile and held the bottle over the her glass, waiting for approval to pour. "I think you'll both love it though."

"Lovely, thanks." Arizona answered, yet didn't remove her gaze from Callie. Sam, ever the professional, kept her features neutral even though she wanted to laugh as she subtly watched both women. When she first entered, the tension in the room had thrown her. This wasn't one of Callie's usual business meetings. The sexual tension was very apparent, even though aware that she was in the room with them, they continually looked at the other as though they were undressing one another. In the time that Sam had known Callie, she had never seen her this… light, free. Callie always seemed as though she had four or five different things going on in her head at once. Looking at her, she very obviously only had one thing on her mind in that moment: the woman sitting across from her.

Arizona reached for her glass and took a sip as Sam filled Callie's glass. "Mm. That _is_ wonderful…Um, so I could be boring and predictable and ask what your last name is…" Callie took a mouthful of wine and nodded in agreement of Sam's choice as she listened to Arizona's question. "But I'm going to shake things up and ask what you did to piss off Torres Tech so much that they sent their security after you?"

Callie dragged her eyes away from Arizona momentarily as the "Ha!" that escaped Sam broke the gaze. The restaurant's owner stopped abruptly and bit her lip as she looked apologetically at her friend. "I'm just going…" Pointing to the exit, she watched Callie narrow her eyes, but smile. Arizona gave a small wave goodbye as Sam awkwardly made eye contact with her as she passed quickly.

"Is she alright?" Arizona asked as Callie nodded. "Anyway. It's well known across the Quadrants that you don't want to mess with them. They govern themselves." Bringing herself in closer, she lowered her voice and looked seriously at Callie. "Many say that the government answers to them in Polis."

"Hmm, well, that is true. I have heard that." Callie smirked and took a sip from her glass. She paused for a moment to think before the smile formed on her lips. "They had to take me home. I didn't want to go." Callie shrugged. She didn't lie, but she wasn't ready to explain the fun that came with her name. Arizona frowned at the lack of information offered. "So, how long have you lived in Polis?" Callie tried to change the subject.

"I don't." Callie's walls were high. Maybe if she could just get her talking rather than questions, she would maybe get an idea of who she was. "I have a job offer which I'm pondering accepting. I'm testing the waters, so to speak. So, I brought a couple of friends with me for the weekend. I wanted to see if there was anything here that would sway my answer."

"And have you been tempted?" Callie flirted. "Not many people get to live here. You must be a very qualified individual. It's mainly government officials and rich oddballs who want to live amongst business central. What is it you do?"

"You should know that already, Calliope. I did give you my business card." She paused to take a drink, a smile forming over the brim of her glass. Her smile intensified when she caught the blush tint tanned cheeks. Callie couldn't remember telling the other woman her name, but with her memory problems recently …

"I may have only zoned in on the number." The sheepish confession made Arizona feel more confident. She realized she wasn't the only one who was nervous and seeing Callie like this settled her considerably.

"I am awesome. Very qualified and talented in _everything_ that I do." She paused, trying to control the smile as she watched Callie's blush intensify. "I'm a lawyer. So, I just thought I'd ask what you did before I realize that if I do accept this job, my first task will be trying to get you jailed?"

"Wait. What? You're going to work for Torres Tech? How? I haven't heard about … I mean, they aren't recruiting."

"Yeah, it was all rather strange. I didn't think they were recruiting either. But they contacted me out of the blue. They've been quite actively courting me over it. I mean, the apartment they are giving me if I accept is amazing." Arizona's excitement dimmed as she watched Callie's confusion. "Crap. You _are_ in trouble with them! What did you do?"

"You really haven't done your research into the company, have you?" Callie finally smiled. Time to come clean, she thought. Even though she would rather keep the conversation light, this was normally when things got strange. When people found out she was the daughter of Carlos Torres, they normally changed the way they talked to her. It was refreshing when she found someone who didn't know who she was. "I didn't do anything. When I told you they were told to take me home, it wasn't me being coy. They were told to take me home because my name is Calliope Torres." She sighed, and paused while she tried to read the other woman's face.

"Callie… of course, Calliope." Callie watched Arizona say her name as though it was the first time she had ever said it. "Well, that explains it!" Arizona looked relieved and Callie just looked on at her confused. "My mind was spiraling out of control last night with theories about who you were. When you said to meet you here, I thought maybe you must have owned this place, but then security showed up and my brain had you as some sort of influential master criminal … Nope, it's just that your father is more powerful than the president."

"So, now you know why I don't give out my last name. Most people already know everything about me and then what would we have to talk about?" Arizona caught that Callie had made the joke, but she could see the sadness lurking under her confident facade. "Anyway, nothing to say about my family that's not already out there. Can I ask who it is that's your point of contact at the company?"

"I don't think I need to get you to put a good word in for me. The job seems as though it's mine if I want it." Arizona batted her eyelashes as she heard Callie chuckle. "The woman's name is Mavis, a very lovely woman, I might add." Callie's chuckle transformed to a full-blown laugh.

"Mavis?" Callie exclaimed.

"You know her, then? I know it's your father's company, but I didn't expect you to know everyone in the company?"

"Oh, I know Mavis. There's only one of her, but she's certainly not a lovely woman. She's a pain in my ass. Why on earth is she hiring a lawyer though?"

"Isn't that her job?" Arizona looked on confused as Callie seemed to just be thinking out loud.

"No, not hiring. She's the Nanny. She runs the company, keeps everything working. She's a machine. Mimicry Artificial Vocalized Intelligence System, aka M.A.V.I.S. But who am I to stop her from hiring an excellent lawyer? If it means I get to see you every day." Callie smirked and took a drink from her wine glass. "So anyway, what about your family?"

"It's just me." Now Arizona tried to hide her own sadness deep down. "Lost my mother and father five years ago. They lived near the plant in Quadrant Two."

"Oh … I'm so sorry." Callie remembered seeing the devastation after the tragedy.

"I had a brother, but we lost him two years before that. He was a soldier. He was killed on deployment in Europe." Arizona stared at the table setting. Her stomach flipped when she felt Callie slide into the seat next to her and take her hands gently.

"I know how much you miss Tim." Callie whispered into Arizona's ear as she wrapped her arms securely around the other woman.

"Callie! How did you know my brother's name?" Arizona pulled away.

"I don't know!" Callie looked just as shocked as Arizona.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to Alida for going through this. Thanks everyone who is still reading and interested. I'm still working my way through it when I have free time. I will finish it. Hope everyone is doing well in this batshit crazy almost Dystopian world we find ourselves in.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Hesitant at first, Grant placed his wrist carefully against the cold metal panel of the scanner.

Automatically, he felt his muscles tense in preparation of the sudden jolt he would receive if he was denied access to the elevator. Unsure of whether Callie had spoken to her father yet, his only glimmer of hope had been that security hadn't stopped him in the lobby. Carlos Torres's wing of building was a fortress and the fact that no one had stopped him yet bade well.

There was a melodic chime before a green light illuminated the skin on his wrist and the door slowly open. He found himself relax instantly as he looked at his phone once again as he entered. "Make your way to Mr. Torres's office. Fifteen minutes." He looked over Tom's message and couldn't contain his smile. Maybe this would work out after all.

He slid his phone back into the pocket of his suit pants with ease; the soft fabric created no resistance. When the elevator doors opened, he was met with a lone security guard who quickly stood at attention when he was caught leaning against the garish, but beautifully crafted door. The depictions of Greek Gods engraved into the solid oak gained the Office the nickname of Olympus throughout the company.

"Mr. Harris." The security guard tipped his head. Guilt colored his cheeks as Grant passed him. Offering a small smile, he pulled open the door for him, allowing him to enter. As Grant walked into the office, he looked around the large room. Faint classical music filled the space. Behind the large desk, Carlos Torres sat, inspecting something in his hands. He looked up over his glasses and smiled when he saw the man walking toward him.

"Ah Grant, my boy. How are you? It's been weeks." Grant smirked, the welcoming gesture toward the opposing chair settled any queries he had about the extent of Carlos's knowledge. Taking the offered seat across from Carlos, he gave a questioning look at the contraption Carlos was tinkering with. "Just something to keep me busy. Lucia has me locked up here." He chuckled. "I think she's worried I'll have another heart attack, but I think she forgets I built this ticker. So, where is my Calliope? It's been weeks since her last visit."

"You know Callie. She gets lost in her work." Grant avoided making eye contact as he squinted at his watch for the time. He could feel his palms get sweaty as the minutes slowly passed. He was unsure of whether it was excitement or anxiety he was feeling. Unable to sit still, he got up quickly and headed straight for the whiskey decanter on the side table in the corner of the room. Correcting two of the overturned tumblers, he poured each of them three fingers of liquid.

"I do enjoy a good whiskey, but it's a bit early Grant, even for me?" Carlos laughed as he gave a quizzical look when the glass was placed in front of him. Grant stood at his side as he took a large mouthful from his glass. When Carlos looked up, the other man was peering down at him and he couldn't recognize the emotion he was seeing on the other man's face.

"What did you see in me?" Suddenly Grant spoke, his voice almost childlike, catching Carlos off guard.

"I don't understand … Grant, is everything all right?"

"All those years ago, when you picked me to become your assistant, your protégé, you said. What did you see?" Downing what was left in the glass, Grant heavy-handedly put the tumbler down onto the desk. He picked up the one he'd poured for Carlos and sipped from it.

"I saw myself in you." Carlos was truly confused by the sudden menacing edge in Grant's demeanor.

"Then why did you push me away? All those years ago, you promised me that one day the company would be mine. All this would be mine." His hands raised into the air, gesturing around until he pointed at Carlos and aggressively moved toward him pointing his finger at him. "And then you took it away from me to give it to Callie who has no idea about running the company." Grant leaned in close. "You said you didn't think I was capable of being trusted with this power … because that's what you have here. Power."

"Grant? I don't understand… What are you talking about?"

Leaning in. "No, you wouldn't understand, would you? I took those memories from you." Grant spoke against Carlos's ear. "You told me that I was a disappointment to you. You were disgusted when I said we should start charging people. You told me we aren't God and we don't have the right to pick and choose who lives and dies. You're more powerful than God, and we should get to choose who is worthy enough to receive our product."

"What have you done?"

"ME! What _have_ I done? Let me tell you exactly what _you_ have done. You managed to tell the board of your plans to have Callie take over the company rather than me. That left me in a quandary, too many board members to grab and re-work memories. I got to you before you caused me any more problems. However, you made one worse for your precious daughter. I tried to make it work for me because I must admit I've wanted Callie since the first time I saw her. Who wouldn't want that beauty on your arm? You might have finally accepted her life choices, but your wife, well, for such a religious woman, she has a lot of hate in her heart. You don't remember how happily married your daughter was … to a woman. So, when I told her that I could make Callie forget all about her sin, your wife jumped at the chance." Grant smiled when Carlos pulled back from him. Straightening his posture, he fixed his tie. "The last six months of finally having her." He looked up and smirked at Carlos making sure the other man knew what he was insinuating. "Well, it has shown me that Callie's been more of a thorn in my side than I need. So now that has to be rectified." Moving around the desk, Grant checked his watch. "I do have good news though. Torres Tech, the company you created, is about to go through some much-needed managerial changes to reach its full potential. It's just unfortunate that you won't be alive to see it."

"What has gotten into you, Grant? Do you think you can get away with any of this? Mavis is watching everything." Reaching for the phone on his desk, he pressed the button for the security guard outside of his office. Grant laughed as the seconds passed with no answer.

"Ah, yes, Mavis. Now that is power. With constant unrestricted access to Hyperion, I will control all four quadrants. She can see everything, hear everything, has access to everything. Every dark secret. Yes, she can see us, but unfortunately for you, thanks to your privacy protocols and strict moral code in this office, she can't hear us. Oh, and it's not me who's going to kill you. We just look like we are having a heated conversation, which for us isn't in the realms of strange." Looking at his watch, he smirked. "I was always great in Drama class."

Suddenly the door burst open and Carlos watched as the charging figure swung for Grant, connecting sweetly with his jaw, sending him in a spin to the floor out cold. Trying to get up from his seat, fear had him disjointed. He could focus on nothing but the barrel of the gun pointing at him. Three loud booms shattered his hearing and searing pain hit him in the chest as he fell backwards. Slumped against the wall, he focused on the bright red liquid that had saturated his blue shirt. Looking down at his left wrist he managed to tap at it, a faint orange light just under the skin became brighter as the shadow of the man stood over him and pointed his gun once more. Carlos tried to focus. He was sure it was Grant's man, Tom. Feeling his eyelids fall shut, he forced them to open once more, but the man before him was no longer who he thought it was. The sight of him brought an image of his Calliope to the forefront of his mind like a sledgehammer.

"Euryphaessa," Carlos just managed to say as he coughed up blood.

Taking one final shot, the bullet settled in Carlos's forehead and he slumped to the ground. Turning around, Carlos's killer looked up toward the camera and smiled before making a quick exit as an alarm sounded. The camera focused in on Carlos's lifeless body.

* * *

"Callie! I have your mother on the line. She's screaming about you having your phone off again." Sam brought the telephone over and placed it in Callie's outreached hand.

Glad for the interruption, Callie placed the phone at her ear. The last five minutes had been spent staring at the menu as neither woman knew the answer to why Callie knew Arizona's brother's name. "Mother, can you stop shouting …" Callie scrunched her brow when she heard her mother's manic voice and the usual distant attitude she took with her mother softened. "Mom. Take a breath. What's happened?" Callie's face fell when her mother managed to get the words to tumble from her mouth.

Sam looked down at her own personal phone when she heard her news alert sound. The words emblazoned across the screen had her look up toward her friend as sadness covered her face like a veil.

"Sam, get the news on screen." Callie's voice wavered as Arizona looked on unknowing. Sam regretfully accessed the system through her phone. The large window instantly darkened out as a screen and the news report started to appear . The video footage was of flashing lights outside the main Torres Tech building and a picture of her father at an awards ceremony in the top right corner. "CEO of Torres Tech, Carlos Torres, gunned down and killed in his office." That was all Callie read as the video changed to show the security feed of the gunman's face. Both Sam and Arizona looked toward Callie as the sound of the phone she had in her hand hit the floor and bounced against the tile.

Callie stared at the video of the man. The news report froze on his face as he creepily smiled at the camera, wanting everyone to know it was him.

"The gunman has been identified as Mark Sloan. Sloan is believed to have ties with The Division, an extremist group who don't like Mr. Torres's ethical practices and have been actively protesting Torres Tech Companies for the last year. Security staff have also confirmed that this is also the man that last month had been stalking Mr. Torres's daughter. Ms. Torres refused to press charges and he was released without penalty."

"Ms. Torres, I need to get you back to Torres Tech." Ben stood at the door. When Callie didn't move he quickly moved toward her, took Callie by the arm, and began to usher her from the room, not giving anyone time to realize what was happening.

"Callie?" Arizona watched Callie's face, still full of shock, look at her pleadingly.

"Please come with me?" Callie's voice was so quiet.

Nodding, Arizona grabbed her belongings and followed them out the back entrance toward a Torres Tech cruiser. Once both women were in the back of the vehicle, the locks connected and Callie felt Arizona take her hand in comfort. Callie watched as Ben's silhouette made his way around to the driver's seat. As the door opened, and there was a pause before Ben got in, which caused Callie to shift forward in her seat to look into the front.

"Ben, what's..." Finally, he got into the car but she soon realized it wasn't Ben and instantaneously tried to open the doors, which had been locked.

"You both are a pain in the ass to get a hold of!" The man sounded happy, his smile wide.

"Isn't he the man from the security video?" Arizona voice trembled as she felt Callie's grip get tighter.

"Trust me, this is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you… well, eventually, anyway. I'm sorry but I think it's best if you both have a little nap!" They watched as what looked like a small stone landed on the seat between them and smoke began to seep from it. The back of the car quickly began to fill with gas as the bullet proof glass partition slid into place, stopping it from escaping.

Callie and Arizona, through burning eyes, both tried desperately to smash the windows to no avail. They felt the car begin to move as each breath they took slowed until they lost consciousness.


End file.
